


The New Reality

by RagingCycloneZorch



Category: Trolls (2016), Trolls: The Beat Goes On (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, F/M, Friendship, Grandma Rosiepuff is mentioned multiple times, Humor, Inspired by “Slacker: Level 13”, It’s gonna be a whole story, Pop music, Slice of Life, There are a few OCs, Trollston High School, and so are Poppy’s mom and Branch’s parents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:33:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 61,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27075031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RagingCycloneZorch/pseuds/RagingCycloneZorch
Summary: Happy go-lucky Poppy Bloom and grumpy loner Branch Hunter have always lived on opposite sides of the spectrum with different opinions about everything; life, school, and especially the famous online singer OrionBolt. The famous personality never shows his face, but is loved by everyone. Nobody is ever surprised when Branch complains about the star’s popularity, but nobody suspects the two of them might be one in the same.As Poppy and her friends work with and against new rivals and threats while trying to get through high school, and Branch is roped into helping them, it may be harder to keep the secret.
Relationships: Branch/Queen Poppy (Trolls), Bridget/King Gristle Jr. (Trolls)
Comments: 168
Kudos: 85





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, there! This is my first work in the fandom, and I’m super excited to share it.  
> I got the original idea for this fic from Gordon Korman’s book “Slacker: Level 13.” It’s pretty great, and I would seriously recommend reading it.
> 
> Forgive me for any mistakes, this is the first story I’ve really stuck with, and I wrote it months ago!
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Poppy quickly shot up on her bed and put on a smile as fast as she could after hearing her 7:00 alarm. She was always excited to start her day as a Sophomore in high school, and even more excited to see her friends. After quickly hitting the ‘off’ button on the clock, she jumped out of bed, taking a moment to fix the pink sheets before walking with a bounce in her step to the closet on the other end of her room, beside the door. 

“What should I wear today?” She looked around in her closet for a while before deciding on a blue blouse that faded to a warm purple near the bottom trim, a pair of pink jeans, and a cardigan that was also in her favorite color, since it was still late January and chilly outside. She tied her pink hair up in her usual high ponytail. After giving herself a once over in the mirror, she ran downstairs for breakfast.

“Good morning honey!” said a mostly red and grey haired man sitting at the breakfast table reading a newspaper after seeing the girl jump off the stairs.

“Morning, Dad!” Poppy responded, heading into the kitchen to get a bowl of lucky charms.

“Did my little princess sleep well last night?” Peppy asked, looking up from his paper.

“Oh, Dad, I’m a little too old to be called that. I mean, I’m going to be turning 16 in less than a month!” Poppy exclaimed while sitting down next to her father at the table. “But yeah, I did sleep well, thanks.”

“That’s good.” He put his newspaper down, stood up, and started to walk to his office between the kitchen and the living room, stopping at the door. He turned to look at Poppy. “Why don’t you go out to the car, and I can drive you to school today on my way to the office.”

“Ok!” Poppy put on her pink sneakers and walked outside. She was so lucky to have a loving father that was able to run the city, as well as raise her after her mother died.

Leaning against the side of her father’s light blue BMW, she looked around her beautiful neighborhood and smiled. Dozens of one and two story houses lined the street, their lawns covered with snow that seemed to glisten under the sunlight.

The crisp January air blew past, and she pulled her cardigan tighter around herself. She turned her gaze to the house next door, where her friend Sofia lived, and saw the girl coming out of her house. As soon as she saw Poppy, she waved and walked over. There was no need for fences between the houses. Everybody trusted everybody, and there was a very low crime rate.

“Hi, Poppy!” She said in her abnormal baritone voice.

“Hey, Smidge!” The two girls had been next door neighbors for years, and even went to the same school. Because of her small size, all of Sofia’s closest friends called her Smidge.

“What are you doing?”

“Just waiting for my dad. I hope you don’t mind, he offered to drive me this morning.” The two girls usually walked to school together, but there was the odd day every once in a while when one of them would drive.

“That’s fine!” Smidge said with a smile. “Are you excited for the new year?”

“Yes! New year means new faces and new opportunities! Plus, I’m super excited about Creek coming today! I can’t wait for him and Branch to meet each other.”

“I think the whole pack is excited that Creek’s parents are finally letting him come to Trollston High,” Smidge mentioned. “The 9 of us can finally hang out in school instead of just on weekends!”

The small girl looked at her watch and turned around to walk back to her house, but gave one more glance to Poppy. “See you at school?”

“You know it!”

Soon, Poppy’s dad came out, so she climbed into the passenger seat and they were off.

It was about a 15 minute drive to school from Poppy’s house in heavy traffic, 30 or 35 when she walked with Smidge. There was always one part of the trip she didn’t look forward to. Right in the middle of town, there was a less than up-kept section where the more unfortunate of souls lived, known as the Bergenville District. At a rather long red light, Poppy looked out her window at the area.

“I feel really bad for the people that live in Bergenville,” she said to her dad. “Isn’t there anything we can do for them?”

“I wish there was, honey.” Peppy turned to look at his daughter, still keeping the corner of his eye on the light. “But even though I’m the mayor, I just don’t have the money or the help for them to go anywhere else.”

Poppy thought for a second. “What about Gristle Newton? He has enough money and influence. Can you ask him?”

Peppy looked at the determination on Poppy’s face. It would crush her to know that the millionaire was unwilling to help, but he needed to tell her. “I tried, but Mr. Newton is a very stubborn man. He usually only helps with big matters like this if he benefits from it.”

“Oh...that’s too bad,” Poppy said sadly.

“However,” his daughter’s face perked up a bit, “I have heard that he and his son know a very nice guy that lives in Bergenville. If I could find out who it is...”

“You might be able to get him to help you!” Poppy finished excitedly.

“Yes.” The light the car sat at turned green, and Peppy turned back to the road. “Gristle Jr. goes to your school, right?” He saw her nod her head. “Maybe you could help by seeing who he knows in the Bergenville district.”

“Sure! I can try talking to him today after school.”

“That would be great, honey.”

The car pulled up to the school, and Poppy climbed out of the passenger seat. “Thanks for the ride, Dad. I can just walk home, so I’ll see you after school!” She waved at him, then turned around to go into the building. As she entered the double doors, everyone immediately recognized the pink haired girl.

“Hi, Poppy!”

“‘Morning, Poppy!”

“How you doing, Pops?”

“Hi!” She waved to everyone that greeted her, wearing her signature bright smile. She walked past the office, past the nurse’s clinic, and down a very short hallway, before she turned the corner and spotted the lockers against the far wall. The girl made her way to one of the rows of ugly green lockers, looking for her number.

“Happy Monday, Poppy!”

Hearing her friend’s voice, Poppy quickly turned around to see DJ, Biggie, Guy, and the twins, a big smile forming on her face. “Hi, guys! How are you all this fine morning now that Winter break is over?”

“Honestly, I kind of wish it was longer,” Guy said. He looked at the others. “I think we all do.”

“Well, new year, new opportunities, am I right?”

“Yeah!” everyone said. Poppy turned to open up her locker. On the outside, it looked exactly like all the others, but on the inside, it was an explosion of glitter, bright colors, and motivational stickers. “How was everyone’s break?” she asked the pack.

“Amazing!” the five of them said simultaneously.

“We got a big package...” one of the twins, Satin, started.

“...and it turned out to be our new imported fabric!” her sister, Chenille, finished. 

“We were able to make some great stuff for all of you!” they both said at the same time. Everyone laughed. Even though they didn’t always agree on everything, the fashion obsessed twins often found themselves saying the same thing at the same time.

“I can’t wait to see what you made. Your clothes are always to die for!” Guy dramatically draped an arm over his face. He leaned towards the twins. “And don’t forget to add extra glitter on mine,” he whispered.

Poppy chuckled. “How about everyone else?”

“I was able to experiment with new tunes and spend some time with CJ!” DJ said.

“I found a great new cupcake recipe while going through boxes at my grandparents’ house!” Biggie said in his British accent.

“I have some big,  big  news!” Guy stressed. “I... am...” he leaned into the group, and Poppy turned around. Everyone waited excitedly in anticipation.

“...going... to...”

“What, What?” Biggie yelled, not able to wait anymore.

“...tell you at lunch!” 

The other five friends groaned. Guy had a nasty habit of getting your hopes up, then making you wait for the news. 

A little disappointed, but still smiling, Poppy swiveled around to her locker. As she got her books, she heard another voice added to the five behind her.

“Hey, everyone!”

Poppy turned around once again hearing Cooper’s familiar voice. “Hi, Cooper! How are you doing? How was your break?”

“First question, as well as I can now that I’m back at school, and second question, my break was awesome!” He laughed, then continued. 

“My little sis got a new phone for Christmas, and she gave me her old one, so I was able to take it apart and add it to my collection!” He smiled, laughed again, then looked around. “Where’s Smidge?” He said to Poppy. “Doesn’t she usually walk with you?”

“My dad gave me a ride this morning.” Everyone nodded in understanding. “Smidge should be here soon.”

“You got that right!” a deep voice said behind the group. The 6 of them parted ways to reveal Smidge.

“Smidge!” all of them yelled at the same time. The 8 high schoolers embraced in a group hug in the middle of the hallway. 

“Well, looks like the whole gang survived through the break,” Biggie said.

The group continued to embrace for a few minutes, until they heard a familiar cranky voice.

“Hey! What are you all doing standing in the middle of the hallway?”

They broke the hug and turned toward the lockers to see a Junior about an inch shorter than Poppy with a black beanie, a black leather jacket over a grey turtleneck sweater, darkened jeans, and a scowl on his face.

“Hi, Branch!” Poppy exclaimed.

He ignored her. “Can’t you all get through one day without doing a group hug in the middle of the hallway? There are people that are walking to class every morning that can’t get past.”

“Only if you can get through one day where you don’t have a scowl on your face every time we see you,” Guy said. The fashionable Sophomore was usually one of the most calm in the group, but every now and then he would give some sass to the cranky boy.

“Yeah, Branch, it wouldn’t kill you to give us a smile sometimes,” Biggie said with a wide smile of his own.

“Well, thanks for the advice,  Gary and  Byron ,” he said sarcastically.

The pack gasped. Nobody called the two boys by their real names except their mothers and some of the teachers. In fact, it was almost unheard of to  not call them by the nicknames Poppy gave them.

“So, could you try it?” Poppy asked, oblivious to his use of sarcasm.

Branch stepped forward and gave the group a wide smile that was as fake as a knockoff mink coat. It lasted for about three seconds before it was replaced by a frown. He turned back to his locker, which happened to be right next to Poppy’s. 

“Well, we can work on that,” Poppy said after he turned away. She went back up to her locker and heard the others talking quietly among themselves. 

Seeing her right next to him, Branch quickly buried his face in a book to hide his slight blush, then closed his locker and stormed away so the others wouldn’t see him and jump to the conclusion that he liked Poppy. Not that they would be wrong, he just didn’t want anyone to know his secret.

Poppy continued to gather her books after she saw him leave. The pack suddenly turned silent. “Hey, you guys ok back there?” she asked the pack. “You’re kinda quiet.” Then everything went black as she felt two hands go over her eyes.

“Guess who?” a familiar calming voice said. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, if you’re reading this, you were able to get through my horrible writing! Constructive criticism is always welcome, I always want to become a better writer.
> 
> You’ll have to wait for the next chapter to see who’s behind Poppy! This is going to have at least 20 chapters, easily (I was surprised, too), so buckle up!


	2. That’s Just My Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch’s events during the morning, and Poppy’s expected visitor.

Branch heard his alarm go off beside his bed and flopped his right arm to the side to hit the button. It was only 6:30, but he had a routine that he followed every morning. He was not excited for the day. Then again, he never looked forward to any day.

Groaning, he dragged himself out of bed and trudged over to the desk in the corner of his small room. Grabbing his school books and his black jacket, he turned around and walked out of the room to the main part of his tiny apartment. 

In the center of the room, there was a black leather couch with a small glass coffee table next to it, as well as a birch table tray leaning against the back. Being friends with Gristle Newton Jr. certainly got him a lot of fancy furniture, despite his objections and his certainty un-fancy apartment. 

Shuffling his feet, Branch walked toward the kitchenette on the far side of the room. He opened the fridge and saw it was almost empty other than a few odds and ends. It was enough, however, to get him through the rest of the week.

“Ok,” he muttered. “I’ll have to go shopping after the show on Saturday.”

He decided to just skip breakfast for now and maybe go to a fast food place to get something. After changing out of his pajamas, he put on his jacket, checked to see if he looked at least somewhat presentable, and walked out of the apartment with his books.

Branch spotted his landlord in the lobby as he came down the stairs. Not all the apartment buildings in Bergenville had pleasant managers, and he was lucky he didn’t live in one of those.

“Why, good mornin’, Branch!”

“Morning, Mr. O’Dean.”

“Ya don’t usually go out ta school this early in the mornin’, my boy. Is there something wrong?” The landlord had always expressed a concern for Branch ever since the latter moved in. 

“Nothing’s wrong. I just... wanted to go out for breakfast today.”

Mr. O’Dean hesitated a bit. He had known Branch for a few years, and he rarely went out for breakfast. “Well, just watch out. This early in the mornin’ yer gonna want ta be careful, especially ‘round here.”

Branch rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry.” He started to go out the doors, before turning back. “Oh, and I’ll be a little late getting back tonight, so please don’t wait for me, ok?”

“Alright. And Branch?”

The grumpy teen turned in the doorway.

“I hate to tell you this, but you are a little behind on the rent...If you don’t pay soon...” he said regretfully.

“Ok.” His voice was small, but knowing. Once outside, Branch got on his bike to start the day.

He rode out of Bergenville and down Main Street, before turning into the driveway of a McDonald’s. He glanced at his watch. He had plenty of time before he had to get to school, so he decided to just go inside. There was nobody in the line, so he stepped up to the counter.

“Just a minute, man,” said the young guy fiddling with the cash register. He looked to be about Branch’s age.

So he waited. The cashier obviously had no clue how to fix whatever problem he had caused.

“Ok, what’s your order?”

“Yeah, I’ll just take a medium black coffee and one of those sausage burritos.”

“Sure man, just a second.” The cashier fooled around with the register yet again. He pushed a few buttons, then gave Branch the receipt.

“Um, I wanted a coffee, not the Pepsi.”

“Oh, sorry about that.” He pushed a few more buttons, then stared at the machine for a second. He picked up a little device on the counter and started speaking into it. “Could I please get some help at register 2?”

Branch groaned. He could not put up with this guy for much longer. Soon, a manager showed up to assist the young employee. As they worked, Branch looked at his watch again. He had already wasted 15 minutes with this incompetent cashier. It didn’t need to be any longer. He looked up just as the manager left.

“Sorry, it’s my first day,” he said with an apologetic smile.

“That’s obvious,” Branch muttered under his breath.

“So, what was your order again, man?”

He groaned again, ready to yell at this guy. “A medium black coffee and a burrito,” he said through clenched teeth.

30 minutes and many grumbles later, Branch was finally able to actually drink his coffee and eat his Deciding to go outside, mostly to avoid the annoying cashier, he walked out the door and sat down at one of the tables. His eyes shifted to the street, where he saw Sofia Macho, one of Poppy’s best friends. 

She was walking alone, and obviously didn’t see him. He secretly hoped Poppy was ok, since the two girls usually walked together.

Finishing his drink, Branch got on his bike and rode over to the school, wanting to get there before that pink-haired monstrosity. It was annoying how she and her pack of friends were always hugging or singing in the middle of the hallway and pestering him to lighten up.

It was just a short distance to Trollston High. Locking his bicycle at the rack, he went in the side door to avoid attention. No such luck. Everyone noticed him and started whispering about ‘that one guy who isn’t friends with Poppy,’ and it was honestly getting annoying. 

As he turned the corner where the lockers were, Branch immediately noticed that he couldn’t even get to his locker because, surprise, Poppy and the pack were in the middle of the hallway, in a group hug. Although he was relieved she was alright, he was more annoyed. He normally wouldn’t yell at them, but he was just at the end of his rope after the fiasco with the McDonald’s cashier.

“Hey! What are you all doing standing in the middle of the hallway?” he yelled with a frown on his face.

Poppy broke the hug and swiveled around. “Hi, Branch!”

She just didn’t get that he wanted nothing to do with her, at least that’s what his head said.

The rest of the encounter went the same way it did every day. He snapped at them, they encouraged him to lighten up. He eventually stormed away, but not before taking one more glance back and seeing someone sneaking up behind Poppy.

_______________

“Guess who?”

Poppy felt her lips curl up into the biggest smile she had given all day. She squealed a little before quickly turning around on the balls of her feet. 

“Creek!” 

Poppy jumped toward the calm Senior and gave him a big hug.

“Hello, Poppy,” he said with a smile of his own. The rest of the pack joined in the embrace. After a while, Poppy broke away with a big smile on her face.

“I’m SO glad your parents let you come here second semester! We have a bunch of stuff to show you! There’s the cafeteria, the library, the lockers, oh! The music room!”

Creek smiled and shook his head a little while Poppy listed off all the places she wanted to show him. She never ceased to amaze him with all her pent up rainbow energy.

He was jostled from his thoughts as she suddenly remembered yet another thing.

“Oh! And there’s someone I really want you to meet!”

The pack groaned, knowing she was talking about Branch.

“But he’s so...” Satin moved her hand around, looking for the right word.

“Unlike Creek,” Chenille supplied. 

“Um...what?” Creek turned around to face the pack, and Poppy went to stand with him.

“Well, the guy I want you to meet is very...different, Poppy admitted.

“Different how?”

“He’s really cranky,” Biggie said

“He uses sarcasm for everything,” DJ noted.

“He’s grumpy,” Satin said.

“Grouchy,” Chenille added.

“And he always wears ugly black and grey!” Both twins said.

“He never smiles, he pretty much always has a frown or a scowl on his face,” Cooper chimed in.

“He’s always spouting off these paranoid conspiracy theories,” Smidge added.

“Overall, he’s pretty nasty,” Guy concluded.

“He does not sound delightful. Well, mates, we’re just gonna have to get this bloke to lighten up!”

“We’ve tried! Several times, actually,” Smidge told him.

“Come on, guys!” Poppy intervened. “I’m sure that deep down, he has a soft spot!”

Creek put an arm around her shoulder. “I’ll just have to meet him and see. How about lunch?”

“Ok!” Everyone agreed. They all talked for a while more, then went their separate ways.

_______________

After walking away from the group, Branch looked down at his watch. There was still quite a while before his first class started, so he decided to hang around in the library for a while, where he could get some privacy. He grabbed his a sketch book out of his bag and sat down at a table to get to work. Only a few people knew that he had a natural talent for drawing.

He flipped a few pages until he came to the picture he had been working on. Past all the nature sketches, some pictures that portrayed famous celebrities, to the latest of his drawings of Poppy. He looked at the half finished picture and sighed, pencil in hand. He really did like her, even if he didn’t show it. He just didn’t understand how, since the two of them were complete opposites.

He heard a sound, but when he turned around, nobody was there. He started adding the finishing touches to the hair in silence.

“Hey there, dumpy diapers.”

“Ahhhh!” Branch jumped out of his seat and took up a fighting stance.

“Woah, there, pal. Just me,” said the white haired Junior he was suddenly face to face with.

“Oh. Cirrus. You can’t keep sneaking up on me like that!” Branch frowned and took in his friend’s appearance. “You know, you don’t have to wear those Hawaiian shirts in the middle of Winter!” He looked down. “And shoes? Those are a thing.”

“I’m a weird guy, Branch. I would think you would be used to it by now.” He sat down in a nearby chair and shifted his eyes toward the book.

Branch sighed and rolled his eyes as he also turned back to his book.

“Oooh, that a drawing of Poppy?”

Branch snapped the book shut, a blush creeping up his face. “It’s none of your business, Cirrus.”

“As your best bud, I think it is my business.” He leaned over to try and open the book.

“What are we doing?”

“Ahh!” Branch and Cirrus both screamed and turned around.

“Oh, sorry. Didn’t mean to sneak up on you two like that,” a Sophomore with cropped green hair said.

Branch rolled his eyes. “Hey, Gristle.”

“Sup, Branch, Cloud Guy.” Gristle started to walk around the table to sit down on the other side.

“See, Branch? Gristle acknowledges my nickname. Why don’t you?” Cirrus crossed his arms.

“Because your real name is just as effective, and I always use real names.” He put his sketchbook in his bag, then turned back to the table. 

“There’s no point in even having a real name if everyone is going to call you by a nickname! No matter who I know, even if they’re family, I’m always going to use their legal birth name.”

Both Gristle and Cirrus snickered.

“What?”

Cirrus put on a big smile. “Says the guy who puts on a mask and uses a secret identity and a voice changer every time he gets online.”

“Lower your voice!” Branch hissed. “You two are the only ones that know, and I want to keep it that way.”

Cirrus laughed, staying as loud as ever. “Relax! I’m just messing with you, pal!” He lightly hit his friend’s shoulder.

Branch rubbed his shoulder a bit. “Ok, but...” he quieted down a bit as his eyes shifted to Gristle, who was staring at something across the room.

Cirrus waved a hand in front of his face. “Branch? Buddy? Amigo?”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry.” Branch walked over to the other side of the table and sat next to Gristle. “You ok, Gris?”

Gristle nodded, still staring. Branch followed his stare to see a girl about as tall as Poppy with shoulder length, light pink hair tied in a low ponytail, a bright blue knee length dress with white fringe, and dark pink flat top shoes. She was standing by the door reading a book. She looked really familiar, but Branch just couldn’t remember where he had seen her before.

Cirrus turned to Branch, a mischievous look on his face, the turned back to Gristle. “Oooh, you like her!”

Gristle nodded his head again and turned to the table. “Who is it?” Cloud Guy asked playfully.

“Bridget Ritchie. She’s a Junior taking journalism.”

That jogged Branch’s memory. Bridget was one of Poppy’s best friends. She wasn’t one of the pack, though. Or at least he didn’t think so. He didn’t know her personally, but she seemed a little more quiet than the pack. 

He looked down at his watch. Class was starting soon.

“So, are you going to talk to her?” Cloud Guy asked.

“I mean, I know her, but we’re not friends or anything,” Gristle pointed out.

“Guys?” Branch tried to get their attention.

“You won’t flop, crop top. Go talk to her.”

“Guys?”

Gristle looked toward the door. “Well, she’s gone, anyway.”

“Guys!”

Gristle and Cirrus turned to him. “What’s the haps, crabby grass?”

He pointed to his watch. “Class is starting soon. Now, I don’t know about the two of you, but I would rather not be late.” The three of them walked out into the hall. A pink and blue blur ran past them, obviously late to class. Branch sighed. He looked forward to lunch, since it was the only time he could actually be alone at a table. Hopefully the rest of the day would go better then it had so far.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there’s number 2!
> 
> Take note of what Branch said about nicknames! That’ll be important later!


	3. An Unexpected Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch sees an old friend, Poppy talks with Gristle, and the Trollston rivals start plotting.

“Come on, Eddie, let’s go!”

The two Seniors ran into the unused classroom they met in every Monday morning. They called it the ‘planning room,’ because that’s what they did when they were there. The taller of the two walked up to the front of the room, while the other one sat at one of desks in the front row.

“Ok, so now that it’s a new semester, we need to figure out how we’re gonna crash Trollston,” the one at the front of the room said.

“You know, Bash, I was thinking...” the other guy started.

Bash sighed. “What is it Eddie? And make it snappy!”

“Maybe we should ease up a little on the pranks this year, man,” Eddie suggested. “The guys at Trollston aren’t that bad, and only a few of them honor the rivalry anyway...”

“What are you talking about?” Bash yelled. “This is our last year at P.C. Charter, and so it’s our last chance to do something ultimate. And as the quarterback and class president, everyone is looking to me to come up with an idea. And I know exactly what we’re going to do.”

“Ok, fine, man. What’s the plan?” Eddie walked up to the front of the room with him.

Bash pulled out a notebook and opened it. “Well...”

* * *

Poppy walked with Creek through the hallway on the way to lunch. They both had the same morning classes of science, english, and history, even if they weren’t in the same order. They approached the closed doors of the cafeteria.

“After you, love,” Creek said, holding the door open for Poppy.

Poppy giggled. “Thanks, Creek!” They both walked inside and spied their friends at a nearby table.

“Hey again, guys!”

“Hello, mates.”

The two sat down in two open spots at the end of the table. 

“How are you liking Trollston High so far, Creek?” DJ asked.

“Well, it certainly is different from P.C. Charter.”

“Different in a good way?” Poppy asked.

“It’s good as long as you’re here, love.”

Poppy giggled. She was about to say something else, but then the group heard a loud voice coming from the lunch counter nearby. Everyone but Creek and Smidge, who had started chatting, turned to look.

“You’re worse than the incompetent cashier at the McDonald’s around the corner!” Branch snapped at the student volunteer behind the lunch counter. Poppy snickered and looked out the door. Branch ate at McDonald’s? She never would have guessed it. She turned back to the counter to see she had missed the rest of the conversation and Branch was now walking to one of the abandoned tables on the other side of the room, a look of annoyance on his face. She stood up.

“I’ll be right back,” she said to the group, then walked over to where Branch was about to sit down.

“Hey, Branch!”

He sighed. “Poppy,” he said plainly.

“So, uh, there’s someone I want you to meet!” Before he could protest, she grabbed his arm and started dragging him across the room. “Close your eyes!” 

He compiled, not because he was giving in, but because he simply couldn’t take any more of, well, everything. Poppy left him a few feet from the table and went over to Creek and tapped on his shoulder.

“The guy I wanted you to meet is right behind me, so I need to to close your eyes!”

Creek looked over to the pack, who just shrugged. They were all prepared for the possible blow up Branch would have. He closed his eyes and turned around, only for Poppy to stand him up and walk him a foot away from the table.

“I can’t believe you’re making me meet another one of your annoying friends,” Branch grumbled loud enough for the group of 9 to hear.

“Quiet, you,” Poppy said. She backed away from the two Juniors, and the pack gave their full attention.

“Ok, on the count of 3, open your eyes. 1...2...3!”

They both opened their eyes, a smile on Creek’s face and a scowl on Branch’s. The pack prepared for the disaster.

After Branch opened his eyes, they widened. “Creek?”

Creek’s smile got bigger, and he tilted his head just a little. “Branch?”

Branch’s scowl grew. “Creek.”

“Hey there, Branch!”

Creek stepped forward for a hug from his old friend, but Branch stepped away. The pack’s jaws slacked wide with awe, including Poppy’s.

“How have you been, mate?” Creek said excitedly after shrugging off the rejection.

“Fine,” Branch said coldly, his eyes narrowed.

“But-wha-how-“ Poppy was at a loss for words. They didn’t seem to notice her, and both sat down across from each other at the table.

“How have I not heard from you for 8 years, mate?”

“You never gave me your new address when you moved.”

Poppy quickly interrupted. “You two know each other?” she nearly screamed in their faces.

They both turned to face Poppy, who was now standing next to the pack with a surprised and confused look on her face.

“Yes, unfortunately.” Branch said.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me that Branch lived here?” Creek asked her. He turned to Branch. “When did you move here?”

“7 years ago.”

“Well, I think it’s great that you two know each other!” Poppy said with a big smile. She leaned over to Guy. “Is this weird?”

“Yeah...but now that everyone is here, I can give my news!” Guy stood up and got the pack’s attention. “Hey, everyone! I believe I have a surprise for all of you!” he said in a sing song voice.

Everyone else turned to him.

“So, over the weekend, I found out from a reliable source that OrionBolt is making a virtual appearance on Walt Rockwell’s talk show!” Guy said excitedly.

Everyone but Branch cheered and squealed in excitement.

“What is the big deal about that guy?” Branch asked, annoyed.

“You mean, other than the fact that he’s such an amazing singer?” Poppy supplied.

“And he’s  so  mysterious!” Satin added.

“That’s what I mean! Why does he wear a mask all the time?” Branch pointed out. “If this guy is as popular as he is, why not let everyone know?”

“Not everyone is like you, Branch,” Poppy countered. “If OrionBolt wants to wear a mask while singing in his videos, I won’t complain. You know, despite the fact that I really want to know what he looks like underneath it.”

Branch groaned and took a book out of his black shoulder bag. He ignored all the other comments about OrionBolt.

“And...” Guy got everyone’s attention again. Everyone but Branch turned to look. “I was able to get tickets for one of Walt’s shows next weekend!”

Everyone cheered again. “How many tickets were you able to get?” DJ asked.

“Ten, actually.”

Poppy counted the pack and gasped. “Branch! Do you want to come?”

“Yeah! I do have an extra ticket, after all,” Guy agreed.

Branch didn’t look up from his book, a scowl on his face. “No.”

“Come on, Branch!”

“Yeah, man!”

“Still no,” he growled at the pack, his fists clenched.

“Branch!”

“I said no, Poppy!” he snapped at her. He was now face to face with the pink haired girl. Poppy looked into his eyes and saw...worry?

She looked at Branch. In all the years she had known him, he had never passed up something like this, and the pack knew it, even if it meant hanging with them for a while.

Poppy and the pack exchanged worried looks. Something was definitely wrong. “Are you ok, Branch?” Poppy asked him.

“None of your business, Poppy!” he snapped. He put his book away, stood up, and stormed out of the cafeteria.

Creek turned to face the pack, a concerned and confused look on his face. “How long has he been like that?”

“You mean rude, cranky, and insensitive?” Smidge clarified.

“Yeah. He was never like that back in Dohrn.”

“You know, he was pretty decent when he moved here about 7 years ago. He would say hi to us and smile every once in a while, even if he was very reserved and quiet, and even just a little cranky at times, but about two months after he moved, then he just slowly kind of transitioned to the way he is now,” Poppy explained.

“Well, we need to do something. His aura is not pleasant, to say the least,” Creek announced. “Maybe I can get some advice from my Aunt Cybil. She’s had more experience with these things then I have.”

Poppy nodded, then leaned down to finish her lunch, which consisted of a cupcake, a milkshake, and a small salad just to balance it out. The salad was topped with frosting instead of dressing, of course, but that’s the way she liked it. Lots of sugar.

About 10 minutes of eating and light conversation passed, and she soon took her phone out to check the news. The Principal of Trollston High was very lenient, and allowed the students to use their phones at lunch and outside of class. She scrolled through her notifications. One in particular caught her eye.

“Guys!” She stood up and got the pack’s attention.

“Where’s the fire?” Cooper asked.

“OrionBolt just posted a new update on his website!”

Everyone gathered around Poppy as she tapped her phone to get to the virtual singer’s website. “Here, I’ll read it.”

“‘Hello to all my fans out there! I have an exciting announcement! I wanted to announce that this Saturday, I will be making a virtual guest appearance on a popular talk show! It will be filmed live, and I’ll have more details, as well as a preview of a new song I’m writing, on a video that will be streamed on my website tonight at 6! Until then, stay safe and keep listening!’”

“Did you hear that?” DJ said excitedly. “There’s a new song coming up!”

“And the talk show is also confirmed now!” Biggie added.

“Maybe we should all get together tonight and watch the announcement together!” Cooper suggested.

“Yeah! How about this,” Poppy started, “Everyone come to my house after school, maybe about 5:00, and we can have some pizza and watch the video! I’m sure my dad won’t mind if you all come over!”

“Sounds like...” Satin started.

“A plan!” Chenille finished.

“Great!” Poppy exclaimed just as the bell rang. The group said their goodbyes and went to their classes.

* * *

After school was over at 3:30, Poppy rushed out to the parking lot to find Gristle. She made her way out the double doors with Smidge, then saw the rich boy chatting with Branch, who was standing at the bike rack, about ready to ride away. She said goodbye to Smidge, and started to walk over, until she was stopped by a blue Hawaiian shirt and messy white hippy hair.

“Hey there, Poppy.”

“Cloud Guy!” Poppy smiled at him. “How have you been?”

“Just fine, my beautiful princess.How are you?” He gave a slight bow.

Poppy laughed and curtsied. “Thank you for asking, sir!” she said in a British accent. “I have been doing well as well.”

“I heard that  you  have a birthday coming up soon, m’lady. The big one six, right?”

“That’s right! I think-“

“Cirrus! I need to talk to you!”

Poppy turned to see that Branch, who had a scowl on his face, was now walking angrily toward them, Gristle hot on his heels. 

“Listen Cirrus...” he glanced over and noticed Poppy, and his eyes widened. He turned back to Cloud Guy. “Durante el fin de semana, ¿le contaste a alguien sobre el programa de entrevistas?” he asked quickly.

[Over the weekend, did you tell anyone about the talk show?]

“¿Te refieres a esa cosa de Walt Rockwell de la que me hablaste?” Cloud Guy clarified.

[You mean that Walt Rockwell thing you told me about?”]

“You two speak Spanish?” Poppy asked, confused.

Branch turned to her, obviously worried. “You don’t, do you?”

She shook her head. “Good,” Branch said. He turned back to Cloud Guy.

“De alguna manera, Gary Diamond lo sabía. Tú y Gristle son los únicos que le dije, y él no se lo dijo a nadie.”

[Somehow Gary Diamond knew about it. You and Gristle are the only ones I told, and he didn't tell anyone.]

Cloud Guy looked offended. “Bueno, seguro que no. ¿Alguna vez pensaste que Walt podría haberle dicho a alguien? Su estudio está aquí en la ciudad, después de todo.”

[Well, I sure didn't. Did you ever think that Walt might have told someone? His studio is here in town, after all.]

Branch widened his eyes a bit in realization. “No pensé en eso. Realmente no importa ahora, ya que lo publiqué en el sitio web durante el almuerzo.”

[I didn't think of that. It doesn't really matter now, since I put it up on the website during Lunch.]

“¿Seguimos haciendo el video esta noche?” Cloud Guy asked, obviously confused.

[Are we still doing the video tonight then?]

Branch sighed. “Yeah. And you’re off the hook. Just make sure you wear some shoes.”

“You got it, Grouchy McGee.” Cloud Guy clicked a pair of finger guns at him. Branch started to walk away, then stopped and turned to his best friend.

“One more thing.”

“What’s the haps, grumpy snaps?”

“No coquetees con Poppy. Sé que sabes que me gusta.” He said the words with a hint of annoyance.

[Don't flirt with Poppy. I know that you know that I like her.]

Cloud Guy gave a smirk. “What? Me? Never.”

Branch just rolled his eyes and walked away with his usual frown, leaving Poppy, Cloud Guy, and Gristle standing together. He stopped a few feet away and turned back to his best friends. “I’ll see you two at 6?”

“We’ll be there,” Gristle said. Branch nodded, then walked away and got on his bike.

“Don’t be late!” he yelled angrily as he rode away. Poppy still couldn’t understand how Cloud Guy, who was so carefree and relaxed, and Gristle, who was so kind and a bit goofy, were best friends with Branch, who was so...not any of that. She snapped out of her thoughts and turned to face Gristle.

“So, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something,” she said with a smile and way too much energy.

“Sure.” 

Poppy glanced to the side and noticed that Cloud Guy was about to walk away. “You can stay if you want!”

Now that she had Gristle’s attention, she could ask him about Bergenville. “I was talking to my dad this morning, and he mentioned that your dad wasn’t really big on helping the residents of Bergenville.”

“That sounds like my dad.”

Poppy chuckled. “Right. But he also mentioned something about someone you know that lives there that might be able to get him on our side?”

Gristle and Cloud Guy exchanged a worried look. “Yeah...we do know someone that lives there,” Gristle said.

Poppy smiled even wider. “Great! Who is it?”

“I can’t tell you.”

Poppy’s smile faltered a little. “Why not?”

“It’s not my place to. If the person I know ever wants to tell you, they will. However, I will talk to them about what you suggested. You just can’t do it,” Gristle said with a look of regret.

“Ok!” She was still as chipper as ever. “I guess I’ll see you two tomorrow, then! Don’t forget to watch the new OrionBolt video! Everyone will be talking about it!”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Cloud Guy said.

Poppy waved at the two, then started to walk on home. She had a house to prepare, after all. And the pack had plenty to do and lots to new stuff to talk about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Ok, I actually had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I loved the interactions between Branch and Creek, Branch and Cloud Guy, and Poppy and Cloud Guy. Next chapter, I promise there will be some singing, and we’ll learn a bit more about Branch’s personal life. I’ll also be expanding on the conflict involving P.C. Charter soon.
> 
> Credit for the Spanish conversation that Poppy was hilariously confused by goes to Google Translate, because in no way can I speak fluent Spanish.


	4. A Yogi, A T-Shirt, and a Fancy Helmet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poppy hangs with her friends, and Branch does the video & gets some needed advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the new chapter! I wasn’t going to post this until after Halloween, but then I read a comment that made me really happy. So, you can thank Other_Side_of_the_Storm for this being posted so early.

Branch rode away from the school, his words to Cirrus still fresh in his mind. ‘Don't flirt with Poppy. I know that you know that I like her .’ Cirrus and Gristle knew, but did Poppy know? She had a pretty good memory. She could easily plug the Spanish phrase into the internet and find out.

He inwardly groaned. He had found out that her pack of friends was getting together to watch his video at 6, and he didn’t want her telling them anything. Maybe he could make up an excuse to stop by and make sure Cirrus hadn’t said anything after he had left.

Branch broke himself out of his thoughts when he realized he was at his destination. He only came here on Mondays and every other Thursday, but he was used to it by now. Although he had only been coming here regularly for about 2 years, he had known Cybil since he was 5. He locked up his bike and walked into the large, modern building. He looked at the sign in the lobby.

_ Welcome to the Schwimmer Building. Floor 1: Psychiatrist. Floor 2: Barber. Floor 3: Plumber. Floor 4: Dentist. _

He walked past the empty secretary’s desk and past the elevator into a hallway. There was a closed door on the far end, and he looked at his watch to confirm he wasn’t early or late before heading inside and sitting down on the black leather couch in the waiting room. He looked up when he heard a door open on the other side of the room.

“Hello, Branch! How are you?” A woman with long, turquoise wavy hair, gold hoop earrings, green yoga pants, a purple blouse, and dark rimmed glasses walked into the room.

“Fine.”

“Alright. How ‘bout you come on in,” she said, gesturing to the room she came out of.

He stood up off the couch and followed her into the room. He could smell the strong presence of ocean fabreze. There were two leather chairs almost facing each other on the left side, with a fairly large table in the middle of the room, and a flat screen tv on the right. He turned to the left and sat down in one of the chairs. The woman sat in the other one.

“Well, Branch! How was your weekend?”

“Same as always, Dr. Graham,” he said.

“Ok. How ‘bout we start our session with how school went today?”

Branch sat up in his chair. “Well, something interesting did happen today. You know that the new semester started today.”

“Yes.”

“Well, back when I still lived in Dohrn, I was really close with my best friend. He was one of the only people that really got me after my parents died, other than my grandma. But then one day, he just...up and moved. He only mentioned it once, in passing, and he never told me where he was moving to.”

“And how did that make you feel?” Dr. Graham asked.

“I don’t know. It wasn’t as bad as how I felt when my parents or my grandma died, but I was devastated. He was my first and closest friend, so much that he was almost like family. Then...he was gone. Just as suddenly as my grandma in that car crash.”

Dr. Graham stood up and walked over to a small counter next to her chair. She started to pour some coffee. “I know the feeling all too well. Coffee?” She walked back over and held a mug out to Branch.

“Thanks,” he said, taking the mug.

Dr. Graham sat back down in her chair. “You said something interesting happened today? Does it have to do with your friend?”

“Yeah. That annoying girl, Poppy-“

“She’s the one you like, right?” Dr. Graham interrupted.

Branch blushed. “Yeah. Anyways, she grabbed me at lunch because she wanted me to meet one of her friends that had just come for the new semester. It turned out to be my old friend.”

“What’s his name?”

“Creek.”

“Creek...Edwards?”

Branch had a look of surprise on his face. “Do you know him?”

“I should. He’s my nephew!”

“Oh. Well, uh...”

Dr. Graham chuckled. “If you’re worried that I’m going to tell him about this conversation, don’t be. You have my promise that whatever is said in this room, stays in this room.”

Branch let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Ok. When I saw him, I wasn’t really all that excited to see him. And after seeing him around the school, I realized that he’s changed a lot in the 7 years since we last saw each other. Plus...I think that he and Poppy are an item.”

“So, are you interested in rekindling the friendship?”

“Yes...no...I don’t know. Before he moved, then we had a...fight, I guess you could say, and he said some stuff that I was pretty mad about. He didn’t know, and he thought we were fine, but it really hurt, and sometimes I still think about it sometimes. As for now, he came up to me a few times today, and he’s just like all of Poppy’s other annoying friends. Always trying to get me to lighten up, and join them in their singing.”

“Perhaps they’re right. It has been 6 years since your grandmother passed away, it might be time to stop worrying about it so much.”

“It’s not just that!” Branch nearly yelled. “I live in Bergenville for pete’s sake! I have no family, a dangerous job, that’s why I come here!”

“Alright. How ‘bout we talk about something else? Is there anything that you do that helps relax yourself from everyday stress?”

Branch took a second to calm down. “Well, I think I’ve told you before that I do some sketching every once in a while. And I enjoy singing.”

Dr. Graham sat up a little in her seat. “You’ve never mentioned that before, Branch. How ‘bout you tell me about that?”

“I, uh, I only do it when I’m alone. Not that I have a bad voice or anything,” he added quickly. “But I also enjoy listening to music every once in a while.”

“Well, would you be willing to make an exception and sing something for me?” 

Branch looked around the room, just making sure there was nothing bad that could possibly happen while he sang. Somehow something always did when he sang in front of someone. “Are you sure you want to hear something?”

“That would be good.” Dr. Graham relaxed in her chair, sipping on her cup of coffee. “Just relax and do whatever you normally would as if I weren’t here.”

“Ok.” He sat up a bit in his chair, planted his feet on the floor, and cleared his throat.

“You just might have a problem, that I’ll understand. We all need somebody to lean on! Lean on me! When you’re not strong! And I’ll be your friend...

Thank you for being a friend!  You know this one.  Traveled down the road and back again. Your heart is true, you’re a pal and a confidant! So, thank you for being a friend! 

Oh, you’re the best friend, that I’ve ever had. I’ve been with you such a long time! You’re my sunshine, and I want you to know, you’re my best friend!”

Branch sat back in his chair. “I call it the ‘Friend Medley.’”

Dr. Graham put her coffee cup down on the table. “You want to know what I noticed? You were relaxing, smiling, and having fun. Branch, I know that you feel like you always have to be on your guard, but it’s okay to relax every once in a while! You need to laugh and smile more! You have a nice smile, if you let more people see it. Try to be more open to people. Based on what you’ve told me, not even your best friends know much about you. And if you like this girl, Poppy, then don’t be afraid to confront her with your feelings. Maybe try accepting her offer of friendship. You might feel better if you tell someone other than me about your life.”

“It-it’s just hard, you know? I’ve had all these horrible experiences, and everyone else is always going around like their life is all ‘cupcakes and rainbows,’ as Poppy would put it. I-I’m just afraid that nobody will understand.”

“Trust them to understand. Find someone you’re comfortable with that will listen.”

Branch sighed. “I’ll try.”

They went through the rest of the session, until Dr. Graham looked at her watch. “Well, it looks like our session is over. I’ll see you next Monday.” They both stood up, and Branch walked out of the room.

“Thanks,” he called back. This was not one of his favorite sessions. To be honest, he was still just a little bit riled and upset by the stuff brought up that he talked about.

He thought about what Dr. Graham had said about finding someone he was comfortable with to listen. He knew a lot of people, but none seemed right. Gristle was a good friend, but he was horrible at understanding emotions and being sympathetic, and could be unintentionally insensitive at times. He couldn’t tell Cirrus for...obvious reasons. Creek would probably just say the same thing as his aunt. And Poppy...

He had been so horrible to her over the years, he doubted if she would even listen. And if she did, she would try to make him happy and see the bright side. He thought about her group of friends. Even though he wasn’t personal friends with any of them, he had talked to DJ Suki on multiple occasions outside of school, considering they were old friends. Maybe he could get some advice from her.

He went out of the building and to his bike, hopping on it and riding out to the street. He needed to meet Gristle and Cirrus soon, but first, he had to talk to Poppy.

... 

“Ok, so we’ve got chips, pop, cookies, pizza-“

“What kind?”

Poppy walked over to the pizza boxes on the table in her homey living room. Warm steam made its way out when she opened each of the boxes. “Uh...cheese and meat lovers.”

“Did you remember to order some chicken wings for Guy?”

“DJ’s bringing the wings. Remember, Smidge?”

“Oh yeah.”

Poppy turned around and sat down on her couch. Smidge followed. “Alright, I think we got everything! Now we just gotta wait for everyone to come!”

As if on cue, the doorbell rang just as Poppy spoke. “And there’s our first someone!” She walked around the couch and opened up the door.

“Biggie! Cooper! Come on in!”

“Hello, Poppy!”

“Hey!”

The two of them made their way to the living room and chatted with Smidge as Poppy waited for everyone else to come. Soon, Satin and Chenille, DJ and Guy, and finally Creek, came. Everyone put their stuff down in one corner of the living room, then got some chips and pop.

“Hey Poppy?”

“Yeah, Guy?”

“Didn’t you invite Bridget as well?”

“Of course I did! She’s going to be here a little later, something about an event at the seniors’ center she was helping out with. But she said she’ll be here in time for the announcement.”

Everyone was silent for a moment as they drank pop and ate pizza. Suddenly, Cooper’s face lit up. “Hey! How about we do some karaoke?”

“Yeah!” Poppy exclaimed. She shot up and ran up to her room, coming back with her laptop and a bright pink glittered faux microphone.

“Alright, who wants to go first?”

“I’m elected!” Smidge grabbed the mike and searched for a song on the computer. “Here we go!

_“ Let me hear you scream!_ _”_ she half sang, half yelled.

Poppy quickly stopped her and the music. “Smidge... What exactly was that?”

The small girl looked at the computer. “Ozzy. It’s on my metal playlist.”

Poppy chuckled, looking around at the others, who seemed a bit on edge. “How about we  don’t  play Ozzy Osbourne,” she whispered, leaning in. “Especially since Biggie and the Twins look like they’re about to run.”

“Fine.”

Poppy shot back up. “Great! Anyone have any other suggestions?”

DJ whipped out her phone. “How about something from  Sing ?”

_“ Don’t you know that I’m still standing, better than I ever did! _ _”_ Guy sang, horribly off key. Everyone laughed. “Sorry, forgot my mike!

“How about something from OrionBolt?” Creek suggested.

“Ooh!” Poppy exclaimed excitedly. She didn’t offer an explanation as she bounded out of the room.

She ran up the stairs, rounded the corner, and quickly went to her closet, grabbing a piece of clothing. She came out and down the stairs again, and sat back down on the couch. She held up a black t-shirt that had a design of the constellation Orion with a lightning bolt running through it. “I made it myself. What do you think?”

“It’s awesome!”

“You made that?”

“Nice!”

“Put it on!”

Poppy shrugged and pulled the shirt over her blouse. “I can make more for you guys for Saturday if you want!”

“That would be awesome!” Cooper said.

“And we can...” Chenille started.

“Customize them!” Satin finished. 

“Great!” Just then, the doorbell rang. “Oh! That must be Bridget!” Poppy stood up to go to the door, and everyone else turned to look. She opened the door to find...

“Branch?”

“Branch?” everyone exclaimed questioningly. 

“Hey, Poppy. Don’t think this is going to become a regular thing, because it’s not! But do you, do you think we could talk for a second?”

“Sure! Come on in!” She moved aside to let him in. When he saw the pack in the living room, his eyes widened a tiny bit.

“Uh, no, that’s ok,” he said, holding up the palm of his hand. “I just have a question.”

Poppy raised an eyebrow. “Well, sure! What’s up?”

“Well, I, uh...” he started to rub the back of his neck. “I just wanted to ask...Cirrus didn’t say anything stupid after I left earlier, did he?”

“What?” Poppy asked, awkwardly smiling.

“Yeah, uh, sometimes Cirrus says stuff he doesn’t really mean, so whatever he might have said, uh, just ignore it, alright?”

Poppy put on a sly smile. “Like what?”

“Never mind what!” he snapped. “Just ignore it!”

She put on another sly look and lunged at him for a hug, but he stepped back and put his hand up. 

“No hugs. I’ll see...wait. Is that an OrionBolt t-shirt?”

“Yeah! I made it myself!”

“Is that even allowed? Poppy, you don’t know who this guy is! Have you ever thought that he might not approve of it?” He snapped, more politely than before.

“Then I’ll just have to message him on his website and find out!” she said matter-of-factly. “I love watching OrionBolt’s videos almost as much as I love Creek!”

Branch felt his heart drop just a little bit, then scoffed lightly and walked off. Poppy waved more enthusiastically than she had to, then walked back into the house and into the living room.

“What was that about?” Biggie asked.

“I think I have an idea, but it’s connected to something I’ll need to tell you in a little bit.”

“Alright. Also, who’s Cirrus?”

Everyone is else nodded in agreement with Biggie’s question, looking just as confused as he did.

“Cloud Guy! Cirrus is his actual name.”

“Ohhhhhhhhh!” everyone said in realization.

“So,” Poppy started, getting everyone’s attention again, “when we were talking, Branch said something that gave me an idea. I need someone to take a picture of my shirt, and I’m going to send it to OrionBolt to see what he thinks!”

“That sounds like...”

“An amazing idea!” The twins said.

“Great!” Poppy took out her phone and gave it to Creek, who stepped up to her and snapped a picture of the shirt. He gave the phone back to Poppy. “Alright, just gotta send this with a little message and...done!”

“I hope he likes it!” Guy said.

“Me too! So, I-“ Poppy heard a knock at the door, then heard it open.

“Hey, girlfriend!”

Poppy ran to the door. “Bridget!”

“Pop star!” Bridget started.

“B-bop!” Poppy responded.

“Lollipop!”

“Roller girl!”

“Glitter bomb!”

“Morning jogger!”

“Helicopter!”

“Prim and...” Poppy started.

“Proper!” both girls said with a curtsy.

“I’m not late, am I? I kind of lost my watch,” Bridget said.

“You’re right on time!” The two girls walked into the living room.

“Hello, Bridget.”

“Hey!”

“Hi, Bridget!”

“Hi!” she said to everyone. “I wasn’t interrupting anything, was I?”

“Nope! I was just about to show something to everyone!” Poppy ran to her room once again and grabbed her backpack. When she got back to the living room, she took a little clip off of the strap.

“I always keep this little camera on my backpack, just in case something happens. And I witnessed an interesting conversation today. So...” She quickly spun around. “Cooper! I need your help!”

“Just name it!”

“How do I get the video that’s on here, onto my computer?”

“Leave it to me!” He took the camera and connected it to Poppy’s pink laptop via download cable, then clicked around for a minute before unplugging the cord. “Done!”

“Alright! I just need all your thoughts on this conversation.” Everyone gathered around, and Poppy skipped ahead a bit before hitting the play button.

“Cirrus! I need to talk to you!”

“Listen Cirrus...Durante el fin de semana, ¿le contaste a alguien sobre el programa de entrevistas?”

“¿Te refieres a esa cosa de Walt Rockwell de la que me hablaste?”

“You two speak Spanish?”

“You don’t, do you?”

“Good.”

“De alguna manera, Gary Diamond lo sabía. Tú y Gristle son los únicos que le dije, y él no se lo dijo a nadie.”

“Bueno, seguro que no. ¿Alguna vez pensaste que Walt podría haberle dicho a alguien? Su estudio está aquí en la ciudad, después de todo.”

“No pensé en eso. Realmente no importa ahora, ya que lo publiqué en el sitio web durante el almuerzo.”

“¿Seguimos haciendo el video esta noche?”

“Yeah. And you’re off the hook. Just make sure you wear some shoes.”

“You got it, Grouchy McGee.”

“One more thing.”

“What’s the haps, grumpy snaps?”

“No coquetees con Poppy. Sé que sabes que me gusta.”

“What? Me? Never.”

“I’ll see you two at 6?”

“We’ll be there.”

“Don’t be late!”

Poppy paused the video, then turned to Creek. “Did you know Branch could speak Spanish?”

Creek shook his head. “No. He must have learned since coming here.”

“Ok, so what I need your help with is figuring out what they’re saying,” Poppy announced to the pack.

“Well, I heard them mention ‘Walt Rockwell’ and ‘Gary Diamond’ in that first conversation,” DJ pointed out.

“Maybe they were talking about my tickets!” Guy realized. “Oh! Almost forgot!” He turned to Bridget. “I have an extra ticket to go see ‘Walt Rocks!’ this Saturday. Do you want to come with us?”

“Sure! I’ll see if my aunt will let me, and I’ll get back to you tomorrow.”

“Great!”

“Ok, so what do you think about that last part?” Poppy asked. “I think it was about me. He said my name.”

Everyone was silent for a little while while they thought. Creek had taken a Spanish class once. ‘Let’s see,’ he thought. ‘Coquetees means flirt, so...no flirt Poppy. Gusts means like...me like...’

Creek gasped inwardly as he realized what Branch had said. And Poppy has no idea. Well, he certainly wasn’t going to tell her. He decided to break the silence before someone else figured it out. “Hey, it’s almost 6:00, mates! Time for the video!”

Everyone scrambled around to get stuff ready. Poppy got some extra snacks, Cooper connected Poppy’s computer to the tv, and everyone else made themselves comfortable on the couch. They went to OrionBolt’s website and waited for the video to go live.

...

Branch rode his bike past the town limits just as the sun was setting over the horizon. As he came upon a little secluded area surrounded by trees, he saw a small but well built log cabin with a silver Rolls-Royce parked in front. Apparently Gristle was already there, and he probably gave Cirrus a ride. He stuck the bike behind the car, then got out his key to unlock the door. To his surprise, it already was unlocked.

“Cirrus! Gristle!” he yelled as he aggressively swung open the door. Both boys, who were sprawled on the black leather couch in the center of the room playing video games, turned to look. “I thought I told you to always lock the door when you come in here! We don’t need anyone else knowing about this place!”

He slammed and locked the door behind him, then walked up to the back of the couch. He placed his hands on the smooth surface as he turned his gaze down and took some deep breaths to calm himself. He looked up at his two friends and the tv. “Why don’t we get everything set up, and then we can try to relax a bit before it’s time to start?” he suggested, still frowning.

Gristle and Cirrus exchanged a worried glance. “You alright, buddy?” the latter asked. “Seems like you’re a little more on edge then usual.”

Was he? Probably. It could have been caused by any number of things that bothered him, like the conversation with Dr. Graham, the comment made by Poppy about Creek, or even the air conditioning in the well insulated cabin that was annoyingly making the back of his neck cold.

“I’m fine,” Branch said bluntly. “Let’s get set up.” He walked up to the tv and unplugged the gaming console, not bothering to let the other two save their progress.

“You sure?” Cloud Guy asked again. Like Poppy, he had a habit of pushing a bit to make sure the other person was fine.

“Yup.”

“Because if you’re gonna do this video, you’ll need to be cool, buckaroo.”

“Hey!” Branch quickly turned around to face his friend. “Are you gonna help? Cause If not, the door’s right there.” He pointed to the door, then walked over to a closet on the side of the room. When he opened it, a stream of hats, wires, and other random accessories fell from the shelves and on top of him.

“Aauurrgh!” He balled up his fists and threw them in the air in frustration. Cirrus and Gristle backed away from their friend. When he got mad, which was not often, since he usually only got up to the cranky level, you didn’t want to confront him. 

He slowly turned around, teeth seething slightly. He saw Gristle looking more concerned and confused than afraid, and Cirrus looked like he was torn between running for his life and making a scared joke.

Seeing his friends like this, he slowly put his elbow in his hand, put the other hand over his face, and closed his eyes. “I’m sorry...I’m just not having a good day. Not that I ever have a good day, but...yeah...”

Cirrus walked up to Branch and put his hand up. “Up high, pal.”

Branch stared at it for a few seconds, scowling. I know where this is going.” He crossed his arms. “And I’m not going to do it.” He walked over to the center of the room.

Cirrus followed him. “Come on. Just one little high five.” He smirked knowingly. 

“Not gonna happen.”

“Join the party on the top floor, Captain No Slappy.”

“You’re gonna pull your hand away, like always.”

Cirrus just looked at him with a smirk. “Ugh, fine!” Branch said. He shot his hand up to meet Cirrus’s, and to his surprise, his friend didn’t pull away.

“Why did you...?”

Cirrus shrugged. “Thought you could use it,” he said, smiling. “Let’s get set up.” He walked back over to the closet and leaned down to look in the avalanche of stuff. He rummaged through, looking for one...specific...thing...

Branch turned to Gristle. “Gristle, where did you put the helmet last time we were here?”

“I wasn’t here the last time you did a video.”

“Then where...” Branch walked over to an opposite wall where multiple boxes were stacked, and started looking through them. Without looking back, he said, “I’ll look for the helmet, you two get everything else ready.”

For the next 10 minutes or so, Cirrus and Gristle set up the camera, the computer used to monitor the chat, and the tv used to check the video quality, while Branch looked for his voice changer helmet and changed his clothes.

Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong

“6:00, buddy,” Cirrus said, looking at the clock next to the tv.

“We can’t start yet!” Branch said. “I haven’t found the helmet!” He started running around the cabin, looking in various places that he had both forgotten about and already looked. Gristle and Cirrus joined in the search.

...Meanwhile...

Poppy looked at her watch in anticipation. “It’s ten past 6!”

“Shouldn’t he have started by now?” Guy asked.

Poppy took out her phone. “Well, the chat seems to be up. I’m gonna see what’s the matter.”

...

Ding!  Branch looked back towards the computer to see that something came in on the chat, even though the video hadn’t started yet. Gristle started to head over to check, but Branch stopped him. “I’ll get it. You keep looking.”

Branch walked over to the computer, which was set up a little ways next to the couch. A single message was on the screen.

Blooming Poppy Flower:

Is everything ok? Video hasn’t started yet, getting worried.

Branch inwardly smiled. Poppy. He had seen her username on many occasions. As much as he told himself it was a stupid choice, it seemed to be perfect.

He sat down and began to type a reply. He didn’t want her to worry, after all. He wasn’t that heartless.

OrionBolt:

Sorry for the delay, just having some technical difficulties. We’ll have it up and running soon, so no need to worry. Thank you for the concern, though.

“Found it!” Hearing Cirrus’s voice, Branch shot up and ran to the other side of the room. He grabbed the custom made helmet and put it on, making sure it covered his entire head and face. Sitting down on the couch, he adjusted the setting on the headset so that his voice would be changed when he talked. 

“Alright, I’m all ready. Cirrus, could you start the camera and put the feed live?”

“Sure thing, cranky king.”

Branch frowned. “Don’t call me that.

“And we’re going live in 3...2...1...” Cirrus pointed at Brach to start. The latter took a deep breath on two, then began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m glad I watch a lot of Monk, or else I would have had no idea what to do for that scene with Cybil.
> 
> Songs in this chapter:  
> ‘Friend Medley’ by Justin Timberlake (from Trolls Holiday)  
> ‘Let Me Hear You Scream’ by Ozzy Osbourne  
> ‘I’m Still Standing’ by Elton John (Taron Egerton version from Sing)


	5. A Party Crasher and a Fridge Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch does the OrionBolt show, Poppy gushes about everything, and Trollston High gets some visitors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken a little bit, but I've been a little busy with school and stuff and haven't had time to edit this chapter until today. Hope you like it!

“3...2...1...”

“Hey there, everyone! OrionBolt here, with some huge announcements!” Branch smiled at the camera while speaking. His helmet, while thick, was still thin enough to show all of his facial expressions. “But before I start, I would like to apologize for the delay in getting started. We had a few technical difficulties, but it’s all taken care of, and we’ll be a little more careful in the future.”

As he spoke, Cirrus and Gristle quietly went to the other side of the room and opened a door next to the closet, entering and then closing it again quietly. They were always with Branch at the beginning for support and to set up, but they knew he mostly liked to do the videos knowing no one was watching him in real life.

“So, I have a really exciting announcement that I think you’ll all enjoy. After very much contemplation and requests from fans, I have decided that after 3 years, I will be making a public appearance. This Saturday, at 11 am, I will be featured as a virtual guest on the popular talk show ‘Walt Rocks!’ I’m super excited to share some details about some of my upcoming projects, as well as make a few other announcements. The show will be filmed and aired live.

“Before then, though, I’m pleased to be able to give you all a new song medley I’ve been working on! This is just a basic version, and I’m not going to be posting an official video just for it, but I hope you all enjoy it!”

[Friend Medley - Justin Timberlake]

Branch started to beatbox the song Friends, then sang two chorus’s of Lean On Me. He sang the entirety of Thank You For Being A Friend, and finished with a chorus of You’re My Best Friend. He stayed smiling the entire time, and even did some expressive gestures with his upper body.

“I hope you all enjoyed that! Before I close, I do have one more thing to share. It’s recently come to my attention that despite my large fan base, there is no OrionBolt merchandise. I recently received a message from a user with a possible logo, and if that user is watching, you know who you are! I loved it so much, that I’ll be revealing it as the official OrionBolt logo at the show on Saturday! In the meantime, everyone stay safe and happy!” He signed off, then switched the setting on his helmet so his voice would be normal.

Gristle and Cirrus, hearing the odd silence, came out of the other room. They saw Branch quietly cleaning up the equipment with a blank expression on his face. Cirrus, feeling mischievous, and not at all liking the silence, put on a playful smirk, got out his phone, and started to play music. As soon as Branch turned around, Cirrus started singing.

“I know you wanna dance, so get your hands up in the air!

Wipe that scowl off your face and go on, whip that hair!”

“Stop!” Branch yelled. “No singing!”

“What’s the matter pal?” Cirrus asked, maintaining his playful smirk. “I thought you liked singing!”

“I don’t like that song. Or the routine you made for it.”

“Come on, buddy! You used to do a bunch of fun stuff! What happened?” 

“Everything.” Branch took his helmet off and put it on the couch, then walked across the wood floor to the front door. He opened it up, then stopped. “I’ll be coming back on Saturday for the show. You two don’t need to be here if you don’t want to,” he said bluntly without looking back, then walked out, swinging the door closed.

“Well, that was weird,” Gristle commented after Branch left.

“Seems like Dumpy Diapers might need a little cheering up. He’s been a little more cranky lately,” Cirrus said, sitting down on the couch. He smiled. “And I know just how to do it.”

Gristle shrugged and walked to the opposite side of the room from the closet, where a small kitchenette was located. He opened up the fridge to get some pizza, but saw a note. “Hey, Cloud Guy?”

“Hmm?”

“There’s a note in the fridge.”

Cloud Guy stood up off the couch and walked over to where Gristle was standing. He leaned into the refrigerator and grabbed the note to read it. Gristle looked over his shoulder.

Hey Cirrus, Gristle. I don’t know which one of you is going to find this, but whoever it is, please share the message. I’m probably going to say not to come this Saturday, so just ignore that. The morning of the show, I would greatly appreciate it if the two of you could meet me at Niles Mechanics no later than 8:30. Sorry it’s so early, but there are a few things I need to tell you before the show.

\- Branch

PS: Don’t try to back out of this. I’m talking to you, Cirrus. I know you get up before 7:30 every morning.

“Well, ok then.” Gristle turned to Cloud Guy. “Give you a ride home?”

“Sure. I gotta get some rest before I start to cheer up ol’ Sour Grapes.”

* * *

The next day, Poppy was practically running with Smidge to school to talk about the OrionBolt video with the pack.

“Poppy...wait...up...” Smidge managed to say between breaths.

Poppy quickly turned around, bouncing in place. “Sorry, Smidge! Everyone left so fast last night, we never got a chance to properly talk about the video! I’m just super excited for today!”

“That’s understandable.”

The two girls continued to walk along the sidewalk for a few minutes until they came up to the parking lot in front of the school.

“Hey! Poppy!”

Poppy looked ahead to see a boy about a year younger than her coming toward her and Smidge, his hands in the pockets of his ripped slacks, and his dark green shirt standing out among the snow and ice. “Archer?” She tilted her head. “What are you doing here?”

Archer shrugged. “I got a little tired of putting up with the endless talk about the rivalry between P.C. Charter and Trollston, so I came over here.” He adjusted the high collar on the dark purple vest he wore, looking back towards the half filled parking lot. “Just hope my brother doesn’t come,” he added quietly.

“Well, it’s great to see you here!” Poppy grabbed his arm and pulled him through the double doors, Smidge following closely behind.

“Woah! You’ve got a lot of energy today!” Archer yelled as Poppy dragged him down the hallway towards the lockers.

“Well, yeah! Didn’t you watch the _awesome_ OrionBolt video last night?” she said with a slight growl in her voice.

“And it was awesome!” a voice said. She rounded the corner to see the rest of the pack standing in front of her locker.

“I know, right?” Poppy finally let go of Archer’s arm and made her way over to her friends. “I still can’t believe he’s making a public appearance!”

She felt an arm go around her shoulder. “I can see you’re excited, Pops.”

“Cloud Guy! Did you watch the video?” Poppy asked.

“Of course! I’ve watched so many OrionBolt videos, you could say I practically know him.”

“But you don’t,” a new voice cut in. Everyone turned to see Branch behind the pack. As soon as they parted to let him through, he went right up to Cloud Guy.

“Ten cuidado con lo que dices, Cirrus,” he warned.

[Be careful what you say, Cirrus.]

“Relax, Dumpy Diapers,” Cirrus said with a smile.

Cooper and Biggie snickered at the nickname, so Branch shot them a glare, then turned to his locker.

Poppy and Creek walked up next to him. “Come on, mate!” Creek said. “Your aura is troubling, like something’s the matter.”

“Nothing’s the matter,” Branch answered vaguely, staring into his locker. 

“Are you sure?” Poppy asked. “Because...You just might have a problem, that I’ll understand! We all need somebody, to lean on! Lean on me-“

Her song number was cut off by the sound of Branch slamming his locker closed. “Could you not?”

“Not what? You mean siinngg-“

“Stop. There will be no singing-” Poppy started to hum instead- “or humming, or toe tapping.”

“But singing is amazing! Why can’t you just try it?” she practically begged. “We don’t care if you have a terrible voice!” She went to stand with the pack, who nodded.

Branch closed his locker and risked a look at Cirrus, who practically broke down with laughter. He turned to face Poppy and the pack. “Who says I have a terrible voice?” he said with a smirk.

Poppy blinked, looked at the pack, then looked back at Branch. “Don’t you? Isn’t that why you never sing?”

Branch frowned. “I’ll have you know my voice has been described as the voice of an angel’s, thank you very much.”

“Would you say it’s better or worse than OrionBolt?” Guy asked.

“Yeah! OrionBolt has the voice of an angel,” DJ pointed out. “That’s a good comparison.”

“You would have to judge that for yourself. Which you can’t, because I’m not going to sing.”

“But singing will make you happy!” Poppy said.

“I don’t do happy, Poppy. I’ve told you that before.” Branch turned around, just to find himself face to face with Creek.

“I agree with Poppy. Why don’t you try some positivity, eh? A little positivity, might go with that jacket!” Creek said, pointing to the tattered leather garment. Seeing Branch scowling, he backed away to the side of the pack.

“Where did you get that jacket, anyways?” Branch turned around and noticed Archer for the first time.

“I’m sorry, what exactly are you doing here?” Branch asked with an objective frown.

Before Archer could answer, everyone heard another voice. “Arnold!” A high schooler wearing a bright red polo shirt came around the corner.

“Eddie! Is Brian with you?” Archer asked.

“No. Listen man, I-“ he noticed Cloud Guy as he spoke, and his eyes narrowed. “Mitchell.” He nodded his head in greeting.

Cloud Guy returned the gesture. “Scott.”

Branch instantly recognized the newcomer, and tapped him on the shoulder. “Hey. Eddie, was it?”

Eddie started to turn to face him. “Yeah, that’s- Hey, I remember you! From yesterday, right man?”

“I’m just going to cut to the chase,” Branch said. “You are completely incompetent at your job, and horrible at getting something done in a timely manner. I mean, I know it was your first day, but did they even train you? Or did they just stick you in front of a cash register and say, ‘hey! Do your best, cause we don’t care!’”

“Branch!” Poppy came in front of him and pushed him back. “You can’t just say something like that to a complete stranger!”

“Oh? I wasn’t aware,” he answered sarcastically.

“Really?” Poppy asked, oblivious.

Branch shook his head and sighed. He turned to Archer and Eddie. “What are you two doing here? Staking out?” he asked suspiciously.

“Why would they be staking out?” Biggie asked.

“Yeah. What do you mean?” Guy said.

“I’m sorry, are you not aware that they’re from P.C. Charter?” Branch grumbled. “Anyone from there is bad news.”

The entire pack gasped, and Creek stepped forward. “I take offense to that, mate.”

“And why exactly is that?” Branch asked, unamused.

“Well, he did used to go to P.C. Charter,” Eddie spoke up.

Branch looked at Creek. “Hm. That’s interesting.”

“What’s that, Branch?” Poppy asked.

“Now I have 5 big reasons to dislike Creek.”

Creek and Poppy gasped. “What have you got against Creek?” Poppy all but yelled.

“First of all, he’s a P.C. Charter guy. Secondly, he’s as annoying as you.” There was a long pause.

“And?” Poppy coaxed him.

“The other three reasons are personal.” And with that, he walked away.

All 9 members of the pack exchanged a glance. “Personal?” Smidge echoed. “He hasn’t seen the guy in 6 years and he already has three personal grudges?” She yelled.

Poppy put her hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Smidge, it’s okay. He probably didn’t mean it that way.”

“She’s right,” Creek agreed. “To be perfectly honest, I don’t know what he could be angry about. But - no use dwelling on the past. Let’s talk about the present and the future.”

“What do you mean?” Cooper asked.

“I’m talking about OrionBolt, mate. Our current conversation, and speculations for Saturday.”

As they spoke, Eddie and Archer quietly snuck away in the opposite direction from the front door of the school, heading further down the hallways.

“Speaking of which...” Guy shoved his hand into his coat pocket, fishing out some papers. “I have the tickets~!” he said in a sing song voice. He handed them out, leaving only two in his hand. “Bridget texted me that she can go, so I’m going to give her the last ticket later.”

“Do you think OrionBolt is finally going to stop being so mysterious?” Poppy wondered out loud.

“The mystery...”

“Is what makes him great!” the twins said. 

“But it would be nice to know a bit more about him,” Biggie said.

The warning bell rang, and the pack dispersed, leaving Poppy and Creek standing together. Poppy opened up her locker with a frown.

“What’s the matter, love?”

Poppy turned to face Creek. “I’ve tried for 6 years to cheer up Branch, but nothing ever works,” she said sadly. “Maybe he’s right.”

“No. Just tune out his negative vibrations, Poppy. They’re toxic. Some folks just don’t wanna be happy.”

Poppy smiled a bit. “I guess.”

Creek smiled back. “Well, you guessed right. Boop!” He touched her lightly on the nose. Poppy giggled, then they both walked to their classes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry to everyone that hates Creek, but I really do like writing the scenes that have him in them. This chapter surprisingly didn't have as many edits as the previous two, and I loved writing it. Next one is really long, and will most likely be updated next weekend! Don't worry, I'm still working on the last chapter of my Trolloween fic, but like I said earlier, I've been pretty busy. Expect that this coming weekend.
> 
> Happy Birthday to Sam Rockwell, the voice of Hickory in Trolls World Tour!
> 
> Now for the really big news.  
> Are you ready?
> 
> Ok. *Takes deep breath*
> 
> THE NEW TRAILER FOR TROLLSTOPIA CAME OUT TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I SQUEALED SO HARD WHEN I SAW IT!  
> Is anyone else fangirling this much or is it just me? I've literally been gushing about it and singing the theme song all. Day. Long.  
> We also have the names of the main new characters from each tribe! I'm not going to say them because I don't know everyone's view on spoilers, but if you go here:  
> https://trolls.fandom.com/wiki/Trolls_TrollsTopia - you can see all the episode names and details and stuff. Trailer's there too if you haven't seen it yet.  
> Plus, season 1 has 13 episodes! 13! That's a big jump compared to TtBGO's 6, don't you think? Here's to hoping we get LOTS of Broppy moments when season 1 comes out on Hulu and Peacock on November 19 (2 weeks!)!  
> You can go here:  
> https://press.hulu.com/shows/trolls-trollstopia/ - to see the episode descriptions.  
> And to be perfectly honest, I'm going to be pretty mad at Dreamworks if the other leaders aren't in at least one or two episodes, or at least mentioned. But I'll probably get over it quick-I'm one of those people that gets mad about something that one of my favorite companies did, says I'm going to boycott them for a month, than loses my resolve about a day in and keeps following them. I mean, how can you boycott Trolls, am I right?  
> 
> 
> Sorry you all had to see my gushing, but I had to tell somebody since I don't physically know any Trolls fans. Have a good week, everyone! Rock on!


	6. The Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch does the talk show, and the Snack Pack is faced with a new problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is really long, and took me a week to write, but I think it was well worth it!
> 
> Walt Rockwell is voiced by Bruce Campbell.

_“You stand in the line just to hit a new low,_

_You're faking a smile with the coffee to go,_

_You tell me your life's been way off line,_

_You're falling to pieces every time,_

_And I don't need no carrying on.”_

“Hunter!”

Branch wiped his hands on a rag and turned around to face a hefty man wearing grease covered overalls. “What have I told you about singing on the job?”

Branch sighed. “Sorry, Mr. Niles.” He walked past his boss to the front of the dank garage to open up the large door. He cracked open the panel and pressed a few buttons, before the door started to roll up. Despite it only being about 7:30, faint sunlight started to fill the space as soon as it was permitted.

“I’m going to go flip the sign,” Branch said without looking back. He entered the side door that led into the main shop. As soon as he closed it, he leaned his back against the other side and sighed. Walking towards the front door, he reached up and flipped the small sign from ‘closed’ to ‘open.’ 

He made his way over to the front desk. Noticing the main computer wasn’t on, he walked behind it and bent down to fool with the wires and figure out how to turn it on. Branch may have been good with cars, drawing, and poetry, but he was in no way an expert in technology. A few minutes passed.

Ding!

Branch heard the bell on top of the door, but was still fooling with the computer. They would have to wait. “Be with you in a minute!” he said, still ducked down behind the counter.

There was no response, but he heard three of the chairs creak. For another minute, he fiddled around with the computer, until he got so stuck he really didn’t know what to do. One of his co-workers might, though. He shifted his position to face the back room.

“Mike! Curtis!”

Two tall guys came out of the back room. They looked like they were identical twins, except that one had red hair, and one had blond.

Branch stood up and leaned on the counter, forgetting about the three patrons until one of them spoke.

“Branch?” a female voice said.

He turned around and frowned when he saw Guy, DJ, and Cooper. “Oh. It’s you.” Ignoring them, he turned to Curtis and Mike. “Do either of you know how to turn on the computer?” he asked, motioning to the unit.

“No,” they both said bluntly before running back into the back room.

“Idiots,” Branch mumbled under his breath. He turned to face the chairs by the front door. “Hey, I don’t suppose any of you know how to turn on this thing?”

“Yeah!” Cooper hopped out of the chair and bounded for the desk. Branch moved out of the way as the tall boy looked at the wires. He plugged something in, and the computer booted up. 

Branch mumbled a thank you, then turned to enter the login information. Cooper went back to sit with the others. “So, why exactly are you here?” the former asked.

Guy stood up. “I wanted to make sure my car was running properly before we head to Walt Rockwell’s studio later.”

Branch nodded, then motioned for Guy to come to the counter. “There’s usually a wait, but since we just opened, Niles can probably just check it over real quick. Give me the keys,” he said, holding out his hand. Guy hesitated a little, then took the ring out of his pocket and gave it to the other boy.

Branch took the key ring and made his way to the glass door at the front. He yawned a bit as he opened it up and pressed one of the buttons. The lights on a glittery silver mini-van flashed. He turned to face the group. “Glitter? Really?”

“Of course!” Guy said.

“Yeah. Of course.” Branch closed the door and looked down at his watch, which read 3:22. He tapped at it for a second, then raised it up to his ear. No ticking. He once again turned to the other three teens. “My watch stopped,” he awkwardly chuckled. “Do any of you have the time?”

“Can’t you just look at your phone?” Guy asked. “You do have a phone, right?”

“Uh, not with me. At least, not my smartphone.”

The three high schoolers gasped. “Man, you don’t have a phone with you?” Cooper clarified. “Next thing you know, you’ll be tellin’ us you don’t have a car! Or a TV! Or a-“

“Cooper.” DJ put her hand on his shoulder. “He gets it.”

“Yeah.” Branch walked over to the side door and walked through it into the garage, leaving Guy, DJ, and Cooper in the foyer. There was a short silence. “Y’all find it weird that Branch never mentioned anything ‘bout working in a garage?” Cooper asked the others.

“Yeah, not really,” Guy said.

“I mean, Branch is almost as mysterious as OrionBolt,” DJ pointed out. “The only things we really know about him are that he wears the same thing every day, and he apparently works at a garage.”

“Good point.”

“That and he has a crush on Poppy,” Guy pointed out.

“What?” they heard someone yell at the same time DJ and Cooper said it. They turned and saw the garage door had been opened. Branch stood there, eyes wide with surprise and hands shaking, but clearly sort of angry. He stalked up to Guy. _“Where did you hear that?”_ he seethed in a deep voice.

“It’s pretty obvious, you know. No one can dislike someone that much. Especially if that someone is Poppy of all people. So are you going to deny it?”

Branch walked around the other side of the counter. “Yes, I am,” he said grumpily. He sat down on a stool and started clicking around on the computer.

“Denial is the first stage of acceptance!” DJ sang. Branch grumbled in response without looking up from the clunky device.

“Pretty sure that’s a myth, Suki.”

DJ hummed in acknowledgement, not really believing that as the three teens sat down once again and started chatting. Branch only caught snippets of their conversation from his place at the computer, but he could have sworn he heard Guy say something about ‘exposing OrionBolt.’

* * *

“Are you sure this is the place?”

Cloud Guy looked down at his map. “This is exactly where Dumpy Diapers said to meet him.”

They both got out of the car. “Why would he want to meet us here? At 8 am? I’m usually still in bed at 8 am!” Gristle complained. 

They both walked up to the shop and entered into the door. The guy at the desk looked up. “Oh! You’re early!”

“You work here?” Cirrus asked.

“We were surprised too,” Guy said. Gristle and Cloud Guy looked over and noticed them for the first time, then turned back to Branch.

“I don’t go on break until 8:30, so you’ll have to wait until then,” he said. “There’s a waiting room in the back with some coffee and stuff if you want to go back there.” He looked back to the computer.

“Can’t you just talk to us now?” Gristle asked.

Without looking up from the computer, he motioned to Guy, DJ, and Cooper. Gristle shrugged, then walked to the back. Cloud Guy lingered behind and walked behind the desk, looking at the computer.

“Red eight on the black nine.” 

Branch quickly grabbed a rag and covered the computer. He stood up and walked to the back. Leaning into another room, he yelled, “Curtis! Mike! One of you cover the computer! I’m going on break.” Cirrus followed him into the customer lounge.

Mike and Curtis both came out and walked to the computer. Curtis, the one with red hair, pulled the rag off the computer, while Mike, the one with blond hair, put it under the counter. They stared at the computer for a few seconds, before turning to each other. 

“Do you know how to play this?” Mike asked his brother. Curtis shook his head. 

“How long have you guys worked with Branch?” DJ suddenly asked. 

“About three years,” Curtis said.

“Yeah,” Mike agreed. “He used to be pretty cool on the job, but about a month ago, he started being a little more...”

“Snappy,” Curtis supplied.

“Hm.” Guy turned to DJ and Cooper. “Think we should talk to Poppy about this?”

They both nodded, then all three of them sat down in the chairs at the front.

* * *

“So, why did you want us to meet you here?” Gristle asked Branch when they got into the back room.

Branch rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve realized that I haven’t exactly been 100% honest with you guys when it comes to my personal life. Since I’m probably going to be opening up a bit on the show, I figured you two should be the first to know this stuff.”

Gristle and Cirrus both nodded. “Alright, buddy,” Cirrus said.

“First of all, you cannot repeat this information to anyone,” Branch started. “There’s only one other person that knows this information.”

“Who?” Cirrus got in his face.

Branch backed up a bit. “I guess this is a good place to start. It’s my psychiatrist. She was the one that originally brought up that I needed to talk to someone other than her, so...”

Cirrus and Gristle looked at him in surprise and blinked. “Just so that I’m not repeating myself,” he continued, “how much do you know?”

“Well, you live in Bergenville,” Gristle said.

“And you apparently work here,” Cirrus added, gesturing to the shop.

“Ok.” Branch took a short breath. “Well, the first thing you should know is that I’m an orphan. My mom died when I was 5, and my dad when I was 1. Don’t go pitying me for it. You know how I feel about that.”

“Of course, I already knew that...” Cirrus muttered to himself.

"So you live in Bergenville with adoptive parents?” Gristle asked.

“No.”

“Foster parents?”

“No. I live alone.”

“Dude, that’s-“

“No pity.”

He briefed them on a few more basics, before they said their goodbyes and started to leave the room. Branch stopped them for a second. “Could you guys do me a favor?”

“Sure, pal.”

“Watch the show on tv. Everything is already set up at the cabin.”

They both nodded, then all three boys stepped out into the main area. Guy, DJ, and Cooper were already gone.

* * *

“This is perfect.”

Bash and Eddie, along with two of the other students from P.C. Charter, all stood in front of Trollston High. “We have the whole place to ourselves,” Bash continued, looking around at the empty parking lot. “Let’s go.” He went up to the double doors in the front, then quickly turned around when he heard one of the other students.

“Uh, Bash?”

“What is it, Adam?”

“How are we supposed to get in?”

Bash turned and opened the doors, allowing the four of them to walk in. “The principal always keeps the place unlocked on Saturdays.” 

“They keep it in the storage closet by the gym,” Eddie said, referring to what they were there to get.

With that new information, the four students navigated the halls until they came upon the double doors leading to the gymnasium. A large door was displayed right across from them.

“Is this it?” Bash asked.

Eddie nodded.

Bash turned to the fourth member of the group. “Chelsea, would you like to do the honors?” He motioned to the door.

Chelsea stepped up to the door and took out a hairpin. “This’ll do the trick, Bash.”

She leaned down and placed the black pin inside the small lock, turning it back and forth, before finally declaring it was unlocked.

Bash opened the door and stared inside at a large box in the center. It was surrounded by balls, netting, abandoned clothing, and other random items.

“That it?” he asked, smirking.

“Yeah.”

He grabbed the large box and replaced it with a single note, written in block letters on a thick pad.

“Dude, we need to get this thing back to Principal Meyers,” Adam said. Retracing their steps, they all went out of the building, Bash and Eddie working together to carry the big box.

Once they got to the parking lot, the saw a large cool purple car starting to enter. Not today. They ran out from the other entrance. Well, as fast as they could carrying a huge box. Trollston was in for a surprise.

* * *

“Isn’t this exciting?” Poppy said to Creek, Biggie, Smidge, and the twins, who were all with her in Creek’s car on the way to Walt Rockwell’s studio. “I’m so excited!”

“We are too!” the twins chorused from the very back row.

“Walt Rockwell is literally the best host there is!” Satin said. 

Chenille looked at her skeptically. “Well, I personally think Alex Trebek is better.”

Their argument continued as Smidge, who was sitting in the middle backseat next to Biggie, turned to Poppy, who was sitting in the passenger seat up front. “Did you wear your t-shirt?”

Poppy turned and unzipped her hot pink sweater, revealing her custom OrionBolt shirt. “Of course! Who else would have sent him a design like he said on Monday?”

“Well, I’m sure he’s going to love it!” Creek announced, keeping one eye on the road and the other on Poppy.

As everyone was talking, Biggie leaned down to the small storage area to the side of the seat and picked up a box, holding it up. “Does anyone want a cupcake? I made them myself!”

“Yeah!” Biggie handed them out to each person. 

“Hold. Up!” Poppy stared at her cupcake, which had a frosting design that was identical to her OrionBolt logo. “Biggie, this is Amazing!”

“Thank you, Poppy!”

Everyone sat in silence as they ate their cupcakes, admired the scenery outside, and listened to tunes on the radio. Creek was the one to break it as he pulled into the parking lot of a large building. “Ok, we’re here!”

Poppy squealed in excitement as they sat in the car, looking around for a place to park. “There are a lot of out-of-state plates,” Smidge noted while looking at all the cars.

“Well, OrionBolt is really popular,” Poppy pointed out.

“She’s right,” Creek agreed. “There are a lot more people here than there would be for a usual show.” 

“Oh!” Chenille yelled from the back. “Two rows over!”

“There’s a space there!” her sister elaborated.

“Thank you both,” Creek said as he made his way over to the empty space and parked. Everyone got out of the car and walked over to the studio building. There was a long line inside, but four people were standing outside.

“There you are!” Guy said when he saw the other 6 approach. “We were starting to think you had bailed on us or something!”

“Just fashionably late!” Poppy said, making a pose. Everyone laughed.

“Let’s go on in,” Bridget said. Poppy and Guy went in first, followed by everyone else. The line had let up a bit, so they got to the front pretty quickly. 

“So...10 Of you?” the guy at the entrance to the main room said after counting their group.

“Yep!” Poppy said. Everyone gave him their tickets, and were luckily able to find two rows of 5 seats so they could all be together.

“How much time until he starts?” Biggie eventually asked.

“5 more minutes,” Smidge said, looking at her phone.

“That reminds me...” Guy started, “we learned something interesting this morning when we took my car to Niles Mechanics.”

“Oooh, what?” Satin asked, always ready for a good story.

“Guess who works for Niles?” DJ asked.

Everyone shrugged. “It’s a certain grumpy and grey person who hates singing...” Guy hinted.

“Branch? Are you serious?” Poppy couldn’t believe it.

“Yep,” Cooper said. “The guy was in the front wearin’ these dark blue working overalls and sitting at the front desk ‘cause he didn’t know how to turn on the computer!”

All of a sudden, the lights at the front of the studio lit up, and music started to play. “Oo! They’re starting!” Poppy said excitedly, but quietly.

An energetic man with a black striped suit and a black wig that covered half his face ran out onto the stage. “Hello, and welcome to everyone in the studio and watching at home! I’m Walt Rockwell, and this is...”

“Walt Rocks!” everyone in the studio audience yelled.

“Today we have a special show, since we have a very unique guest. He is an online personality that writes songs and sings covers, and he has the voice of an angel! You all know and love him, and so do I! Please welcome...OrionBolt!” Walt turned to the giant screen behind him, then used a remote to turn it on, revealing the singer on a virtual call with the host.

“Hey there, everyone! I’m super excited to be here!” the singer said.

“And we’re excited to have you!” Walt said back. He turned to the audience. “Aren’t we?”

The entire studio cheered. “And may I say, that’s a very nice suit you have there,” Walt said, gesturing to OrionBolt’s outfit, which was a dark blue dress suit with white lines running through it, a blue bow tie, and a white dress shirt with dark blue buttons.

“Well, thank you very much! A friend of mine actually picked this out. I don’t have such fancy taste,” he admitted. 

“Alright, then! Since you’ve never been here before, I’ll let you know how everything works. You’ve watched the show before, right?”

“I don’t watch it often, but I’ve heard people talk about it, so I kind of know how it works. You and the audience ask me questions, I talk about upcoming projects, etcetera, etcetera.”

“Right! So, to start out, what should we call you?”

OrionBolt looked confused. “I’m sorry, what do you mean?”

“Well, we can’t very well just keep calling you ‘OrionBolt’ this whole show, can we?” Walt joked.

“Oh. Yeah. You can call me...Silas. Yeah. Silas is fine.”

Walt threw his hands in the air. “Hear that everyone? We have a name!”

“Mr. Rockwell?”

Walt turned back to the screen. “Call me Walt.”

“Ok...Walt. Silas isn’t my first name.”

“Is that right? Well, we want to call you by your first name. Right?” he said to the audience. They all cheered.

OrionBolt snorted. “Right. Like I’m actually going to tell you my name. It’s so unique, that anyone I know would instantly know it was me and not some other person by that name.”

“Alright, then. Guess we’re going with Silas! I hear that you’ve been working on some new stuff, Silas!” Walt said. “Care to give us the scoop?”

“Sure! First of all, and I mentioned this in my stream last Monday, I’m revealing a new logo that will be used as my official logo! I recently got a message from a user known as ‘Blooming Poppy Flower’ with a picture of a design they created!” He paused for a second. All of a sudden, his eyes narrowed a bit, he put on a half smile, and he leaned closer to the monitor. He pointed his finger towards the audience.

“You,” he said. “With the pink hair, in the...7th row.”

Poppy pointed to herself and mouthed, ‘me?’

“Yeah. Are you the girl that sent in the design? I can see your shirt from here.”

Poppy nodded her head. “Walt, I’m going to put up the picture.” OrionBolt turned to a computer that was on the table in front of him and started clicking around. A picture of Poppy’s design appeared on the large screen for about 10 seconds, before it was once again replaced by OrionBolt. “How do you all like that?”

The entire studio once again cheered. “Can we bring that girl up here?” Walt said to the audience. More cheering.

“I can’t believe you’re going to get to meet Walt Rockwell and OrionBolt!” Chenille said to Poppy. 

Poppy nodded, a huge smile on her face as she made her way through the crowd up to the front. She practically jumped up the steps to the stage, beaming. Walt stepped up to her.

“First of all, what’s your name?”

“Poppy Bloom!”

“Clever,” she heard from OrionBolt.

“So,” Walt got her attention again, “how did you come to create that design and sent it to Silas?”

“Me and my friends are all big OrionBolt fans, so I just thought it would be fun to make something like this!” she said before twirling a bit. “It wasn’t really that hard. I just thought about the name and then tried to come up with a design that matched!”

“Why did you decide to send it to me instead of keeping it for yourself?” OrionBolt asked. Branch knew the reason, but he wanted to see what Poppy would say.

“I was going to, but a friend of mine said that I should see if you approved of it, being based off of your name and all.”

Friend. 

Poppy called him a friend. She considered Branch a friend?

“You can go on back to your seat now, Miss Bloom,” Walt said. Poppy went back to her friends, who all started patting her on the back, and Walt turned to OrionBolt, who seemed to be...out of it.

“Silas?”

Branch was snapped out of his thoughts, and looked at Walt. “Oh, sorry! Just thinking about something.”

“That’s fine! Happens to the best of us!” Walt subtlety pointed at himself, and the audience laughed.

“So,” attention was directed back to OrionBolt, “for three years, I’ve heard from people I know that ‘OrionBolt’ is the most mysterious online personality, and I’ve received thousands of messages asking me about my personal life. I’ve decided to be just a little less mysterious.”

“Gonna tell us who you are?” Walt asked before going to sit down in a leather armchair in the middle of the stage.

“No. But I will let all of you ask me questions. I’ll try to answer them all to the best of my ability, with some exceptions.”

“Mind if I start out?” Walt asked. OrionBolt waved his hand in a manner that said, ‘go ahead.’

“Your username is pretty unique. How did you come up with that?”

“I’m really close with someone whose last name is Hunter, and Orion was a hunter. I just thought it would fit.”

Walt looked out to the audience, where over half the hands were up. “Blue hat in the second row!”

“What’s your favorite song?”

OrionBolt adjusted his position. “I’m actually going to be releasing a new song right after the show, and I have to say that one is my favorite. I’ll sing it so you guys know what to expect. Like I said, it’ll be posted on my website after this.” He reached up to his helmet and turned it off, then leaned over to his computer, which started to play music after he clicked a few things.

[Can’t Stop the Feeling - Justin Timberlake]

_“Ah, yeah, ah, yeah,”_

He started snapping his fingers to the music.

_“I got this feelin' inside my bones_

_It goes electric, wavy when I turn it on_

_All through my city, all through my home_

_We're flyin' up, no ceilin', when we in our zone_

_I got that sunshine in my pocket_

_Got that good soul in my feet_

_I feel that hot blood in my body when it drops (Ooooh!)_

_I can't take my eyes up off it, movin' so phenomenally_

_Room on lock, the way we rock it, so don't stop_

_And under the lights when everything goes_

_Nowhere to hide when I'm gettin' you close_

_When we move, well, you already know_

_So just imagine, just imagine, just imagine!”_

He started to clap to the rhythm.

_“Nothin' I can see but you when you dance, dance, dance_

_Feel a good, good creepin' up on you_

_So just dance, dance, dance, come on!”_

The studio audience started to clap along with him.

_“All those things I shouldn't do_

_But you dance, dance, dance_

_And ain't nobody leavin' soon, so keep dancin'_

_I can't stop the feelin'_

_So just dance, dance, dance_

_I can't stop the feelin'_

_So just dance, dance, dance, come on!_

_“Ooh, it's something magical_

_It's in the air, it's in my blood, it's rushin' on_

_I don't need no reason, don't need control_

_I fly so high, no ceiling, when I'm in my zone_

_'Cause I got that sunshine in my pocket_

_Got that good soul in my feet_

_I feel that hot blood in my body when it drops (Ooooh!)_

_I can't take my eyes up off it, moving so phenomenally_

_Room on lock, the way we rock it, so don't stop_

_Under the lights when everything goes_

_Nowhere to hide when I'm gettin' you close_

_When we move, well, you already know_

_So just imagine, just imagine, just imagine!”_

By this point, the audience members were all on their feet, dancing in place.

_“Nothing I can see but you when you dance, dance, dance_

_Feel the good, good, creepin' up on you_

_So just dance, dance, dance, come on_

_All those things I shouldn't do_

_But you dance, dance, dance_

_And ain't nobody leavin' soon, so keep dancin'_

_I can't stop the feelin'_

_So just dance, dance, dance_

_I can't stop the feelin'_

_So just dance, dance, dance_

_I can't stop the feelin'_

_So just dance, dance, dance_

_I can't stop the feelin’ yeah_

_So keep dancin', come on_

_Oh, yeah, yeah_

_I can't stop the, I can't stop the_

_I can't stop the, I can't stop the_

_I can't stop the feelin'_

_Nothin' I can see but you when you dance, dance, dance_

_Feel the good, good, creepin' up on you_

_So just dance, dance, dance, come on_

_All those things I shouldn't do_

_But you dance, dance, dance_

_And ain't nobody leavin' soon, so keep dancin'_

_Everybody sing! (I can't stop the feelin')”_

The entire studio followed his instruction and tried to sing along with him.

_“Got this feeling in my body (I can't stop the feelin')_

_Got this feeling in my body (I can't stop the feelin')_

_Wanna see you move your body (I can't stop the feelin')_

_Got this feelin' in my body_

_Break it down_

_Got this feelin' in my body (ah)_

_Can't stop the feelin'_

_Got this feelin' in my body, come on!”_

Everyone cheered, giving the singer a standing ovation and even whistling. “I can certainly see why you like that one!” Walt yelled over the roar of the crowd. Eventually, the yelling and clapping died down, and OrionBolt turned his helmet back on.

“That’ll be posted around noon or so,” he said. He looked at Walt to choose the next person and question.

The host gazed into the sea of hands. “Back row, striped sweater on the end!”

“Silas, how old are you?”

“How old do you all think I am?” OrionBolt asked.

“I’m thinking late 20s, early 30s, just because of how good your voice is,” Walt guessed.

The singer laughed. “Not even close! I’m not even old enough to drink!”

The audience started laughing a bit and whispering among themselves, trying to guess who this mysterious guy could be. “I’ll bet your parents are proud of how good your voice sounds!” Walt said happily and energetically.

OrionBolt visibly saddened, his large smile disappearing and head going down a bit. “Actually,” his voice started to waver just a little, “I lost my parents about 13 years ago...”

The studio went silent, and Walt’s smile disappeared as he looked over at the normally smiling personality, who was now looking at the audience with a somber expression. “Oh...I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

“Yeah, it’s...it’s fine. Are there any more questions?” A small, barely visible smile returned to his face.

“Eighth row with all the glittery jewelry,” Walt said. 

It just happened to be Guy. “Mr. Silas, it’s come to my attention that you never use obvious auto tune when you sing. Is your voice really that good, or does your helmet automatically give you auto tune?” Guy thought he had it in the bag. There was no way the singer didn’t use at least a little auto tune.

“No, that’s... that’s actually my voice.”

“Has anyone ever heard you sing without your helmet on?” Guy asked, taking a second shot. He would not be humiliated on national television.

“Only one person, and before you ask, no, I’m not going to tell you who it is.” So that’s what Guy meant when he said he wanted to expose OrionBolt.

Feeling defeated, Guy nodded and sat down.

“Ok...in the front right with the long white hair,” Walt said.

The person called stood up, and Poppy’s eyes widened as she saw who it was.

Cloud Guy.

She looked closer, and saw that he was with three other people: Gristle, a girl younger than him who had white hair with purple tints, and a larger, middle aged man sitting next to Gristle. She glanced over at Smidge, who was sitting next to her and staring at OrionBolt’s eyes, and tapped her on the shoulder.

Smidge looked over to where Poppy’s gaze was, followed by the rest of the pack. When she stole a look at the singer, she saw that he looked a bit confused as well.

“So, Silas, how many people know your real identity?” the boy said with a wry smile.

“Two.”

“And what is your relationship to those people?” Cloud Guy asked.

“Well, just these... friends I have. The parameters start there.”

Cloud Guy looked at Gristle, who nodded, then he sat down.

* * *

After a while of questions, Walt looked into the audience before OrionBolt got his attention. “Walt! It’s almost 12, so this’ll probably have to be the last one.”

Walt nodded, then gazed through the crowd. “Seventh row with the purple shirt and greenish-Blue hair.”

Creek stood up. “Well, first of all mate, I just wanted to say that you’re making us all very happy with all your songs and your consistent calm aura.”

“Thank you.”

“I don’t know about you, but I personally believe in keeping the mind and the body sharp and healthy. Do you drink tea at all?”

“Uh...no. I normally just have coffee. Is this going anywhere?”

“Well, I’ve happened to notice that this past month your attitude in your videos has been off. There’s no need for you to explain why, but I would like to suggest that you try some form of meditation to calm yourself. It always works for me.”

“Ummm...ok?” OrionBolt sat up a bit on his couch. “Is there anything else?”

“Oh yes! Of course,” Creek said. “If you don’t mind me asking, where are you located?”

“You know, normally I wouldn’t answer that, but I feel it only fair. It wouldn’t do any good to try and find me, because the population is over 100,000, but I actually live here in Troll Falls.”

Everyone started whispering again, and Creek sat down. “Well, This has been a very exciting show,” Walt said. “How about we all give a big round of applause to OrionBolt for coming on today?”

The audience followed, clapping and whistling. “Thanks for having me, Walt!” the singer said. “Don’t forget to watch the video for ‘Can’t Stop the Feeling!’ after this!” He signed off the video.

Walt turned to the crowd. “Thanks a lot to all of you who came out today! Have a great day, and I’ll be back next week! And remember...”

“Walt Rocks!” the studio yelled.

The lights on the stage dimmed, and Walt walked off.

Poppy grabbed Creek’s arm and started shaking him with enthusiasm. “Did you hear that? OrionBolt lives in Troll Falls!” She started bouncing up and down in excitement.

“Yes...it is exciting, isn’t it?” Creek replied, placing his arm around Poppy’s shoulder as they shuffled through the crowd and out of the building with the rest of the pack.

“Hey!” Poppy suddenly stopped as the ten teens stepped into the parking lot. “Does anyone want to get some ice cream? I’ll buy!” 

“Sure!” everyone but Bridget chorused at once.

“I can’t. My Aunt will be mad if I’m not home by 1,” she said.

“We’ll see you later then?” Poppy asked, going in for a hug from her oldest friend.

“Of course!” They broke the embrace, and everyone waved as Bridget walked off to her car.

“So...” Creek held up his keys, “my car? I have 9 seats.”

“I call shotgun!” Cooper yelled.

“No fair! I always get shotgun!” Poppy fake pouted.

“Well, look at it this way, love,” Creek snaked an arm around her. “You get to sit in the center, closer to everyone’s favorite guru!”

The pack laughed. “Let’s go!” Creek led everyone over to where his car was parked. They piled in - Creek, Poppy, and Cooper in the front, Smidge, Biggie, and DJ in the middle back, and Guy between the twins in the very back.

They all gushed for a while about the show and blasted the new song over their phones nonstop. When they came up to the school driveway, Creek turned there.

“Aren’t we going for ice cream?” Satin piped up from the back seat. 

“Just need to make a quick detour,” Creek answered as he pulled the car into the lot. “Anyone want to come? Old Greg leaves the door unlocked on Saturdays for students to come in and ask him questions.”

Everyone responded by exiting the vehicle and following the Senior into the school. 

“So, what do you need to do?” Poppy asked once they were in the front hallway.

“I need to grab those old yoga mats in the closet by the gym.”

Cooper ran ahead of the group, getting to the closet and opening it. The goofy smile was washed off his face immediately.

Poppy noticed the unease as the others caught up. “What’s wrong, Cooper?”

“The box is gone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I love torturing people with cliffhangers. And this one was a doozy, wasn't it? You'll have to wait to see what the box was...
> 
> The scene in the mechanic's shop with Mike and Curtis was inspired by a scene in S03E07 of Monk. 
> 
> Songs in this chapter:  
> 'Bad Day' by Daniel Powter  
> 'Can't Stop the Feeling' by Justin Timberlake  
> Yep, we got the Trolls JT song. We'll be seeing it a lot from now on.
> 
> Now, I'm sure that many of you caught that little Alex Trebek reference made by Chenille. I just added that at the last minute, since I'm sure you've heard the news by now about the Jeopardy Host.  
> R.I.P. Alex Trebek: 1940-2020. May he be long remembered in our hearts and our minds.
> 
> On a bit of a happier note, I'd like to know what you think about this. I have multiple deleted scenes from a few of these earlier chapters, and I'm sure there'll be some for later chapters as well. Would you want to see a book with all the deleted scenes from this story? It's gone through a lot of changes, and I think people should get to see the writing process just as much as the finished product. Let me know if that's something you would like.
> 
> I could also use some song suggestions for this story. If you have any good CLEAN Pop songs (yes, they have to be Pop) you like, let me know and I'll see if I can use them.
> 
> I would also like to give a shout out to other_side_of_the_storm! You've made my day every time I see one of your comments, and it's inspired me to make the rest of this story the best it could possibly be. Thank you!
> 
> I'd better go, I'm kind of binging The Beat Goes On right now before Trollstopia comes out.
> 
> Have a great week!


	7. A Nickname and Pop Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An assembly is called at Trollston High to discuss Cooper's find, and everyone finds out a secret about Branch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This came later than I wanted, but here it is! I wanted to get it out earlier this week, but I've just been Swamped with homework lately. Hope you enjoy this one!

News traveled fast in a small school like Trollston High.

This was especially true when the original news came from the most influential group in the school.

On the Monday after the talk show, an assembly was called at Trollston High to discuss the Pack’s discovery. All 200 and some students packed into the auditorium to hear what the principal’s reaction was.

Poppy and the pack walked into the large room and saw that there were plenty of seats left. That was good; they could all sit together. 

“Where do you guys wanna go?” DJ asked the other 8. 

Poppy looked around at all the available spots, until her eyes rested on a single spot in the corner where a lone student sat, his nose in a book. She ran over to the stairs on the far end, her friends following with smiles.

She ran up the stairs and sat down. “Hi Branch!”

He didn’t look up from his book. “Poppy.”

The others sat down around the two, talking loudly to match all the other kids around them, much to Branch’s annoyance. The assembly wasn’t set to start for another few minutes.

_'Cause I got that sunshine in my pocket_

_Got that good soul in my feet_

_I feel that hot blood in my body when it drops (ooh)_

All the talking in that area of the room ceased when the music was heard. Everyone looked around for the source.

Branch even looked up from his book, which Poppy thought was odd, since he normally hated music. The pack watched as he bent to the side and fumbled around in his bag, before pulling out a phone.

_—when I'm gettin' you close_

_When we move—_

“Hello?”

The pack shared a confused glance at his choice of ringtone, then gave some of their attention to his side of the conversation.

He looked at them awkwardly and with caution as he listened to the other end, both hands clutching the device. “Um...you can’t?”

“No no no, that’s fine.”

He turned away from them. “You, uh, you saw it, huh?”

“Um...two.” He snuck a glance back at the pack as he listened to the other end. “No, I have...a thing I need to do Friday. I can just come in on Thursday, like usual.”

He stood up and walked a little ways away. They could still hear him, though, something he wasn’t aware of. “Actually, I might not be able to make it for a few weeks. We can meet Thursday, but I think I’ll be good for now.”

He turned back around and started to sit in his previous seat. “You know what? I actually have to go...How about I call you after school?”

“Alright. See you later.” He hung up and carefully placed the phone and his book in his bag. He turned around to find the 9 members of the pack staring at him.

“Um...what?”

Poppy was the first to speak. “I thought you didn’t like OrionBolt!” she said with a smile.

“I don’t.”

“If that’s the case, why is your ringtone his newest song?” Guy asked in a know-it-all tone.

“Uh...”

“Now, now, mates.” Creek stepped up. “If Branch wants to tell us why he chose that particular tune, he will.”

“Um...yeah. You know, it’s a good song, so...”

“Really?” Cooper interjected. “I took you more for the type of guy who would like something sadder. Like Total Eclipse of the Heart!”

“Ooh! I love that song!” Poppy exclaimed.

“Please don’t sing it,” Branch whispered quietly.

She didn’t hear him. _“And I need you now tonight!”_

Branch covered his ears a bit. “Please stop,” he barely squeaked.

_“And I need you more than ever!”_

He put his head in his hands.

_“And if you’ll only hold me tight!”_

“Poppy!”

_“We’ll be_ —what is it?”

“I don’t like that song,” he said through his hands. “I hate that song. You have no idea how much I hate that song,” his voice cracked.

“Oh.” She nodded in understanding.

“Don’t ever sing that song in front of me again. Ever.”

Another nod. “Alright.”

“Good morning, everyone.”

The auditorium quieted down as Principal Gregory spoke from the podium at the front.

“I’m sure that by now, you’ve all heard the news. On Saturday, one of our students discovered that the troll mascot costume someone ultimately dubbed ‘Fuzzbert’ was stolen.”

Although most had known, those who didn’t started whispering among themselves.

“In their place,” the principal continued, “was a single note from the culprits. Our rival, P.C. Charter.”

Poppy snorted at that. “Rival?”

“Now I know that most of you don’t honor the rivalry, but they made a proposition that I think many of you will like. I have chosen 13 students to participate in a sing-off between P.C. and Trollston.”

Everyone cheered, including Poppy. “I’ve only talked to one of these students to make sure they are all right with participating, and I received no objection. The others, I’m sure will be delighted. I truly believe that this group will be able to lead us to victory.

“Without further ado, here are your sing-off participants! When I call your name, please come down.” He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket.

“For her wonderful vocals and spirit, the lead singer will be...Poppy Bloom!”

Poppy ran down the stairs and stood next to the principal. “Next, for their ability to harmonize perfectly in sync, are Satin and Chenille Icona!”

The twins ran down and stood next to Poppy. “For his unique singing style which will bring an interesting voice, we have Gary Diamond!”

“Next, for her musical knowledge, is DJ Sukiyami!” DJ caught up with Guy as they ran down the stairs.

“For his rapping ability and dance moves, we have our mascot himself, Cooper Bentley!”

“For his wonderful tenor vocals, we have Byron Jones!” Cooper and Biggie joined their friends.

“Because of her determination and unique vocals, we also have Sofia Macho!” Smidge ran down.

“For his calm personality and wonderful voice, which will be our male lead, please welcome Creek Edwards!”

“For extra spirit and vocals, we have Bridget Ritchie!”

“For uh, funding and spirit, Gristle Newton Jr!”

“We also have Cirrus Mitchell for...obvious reasons.”

The twelve stood next to the Principal as he waited for the room to calm down.

He paused for a second. “Um, Mr. Gregory?” Poppy said. “You only called 12 people.”

He turned to her. “Yes. The last person is important. Don’t worry.” He pocketed the paper as he turned back to the bleachers.

“Lastly, we have our backbone. This person is one of the smartest people I know, as well as one of the most mature and organized. He has a great knowledge of music, and great instrumental ability. I have chosen him as the team leader and captain, and I know that he’ll do the best job a leader can do. He will also be the team’s main planner and choreographer. I would like everyone in the group to follow his instructions, because I know he has the ability to help lead you to victory, and he has agreed to take advantage of his talents for this cause.”

The pack exchanged a glance. Who could he be talking about?

“Please give a round of applause for Tiberius Hunter!”

Poppy knew everyone in the school. There was no one named Tiberius! She scanned the bleachers for anyone that was about to come down, but everyone looked just as confused as she did. The whole world seemed to stop as her gaze turned to the corner.

Branch.

Branch was standing up and walking down the stairs, a smirk on his face.

She snuck a glance at the Pack. Their mouths were open in awe, just like hers.

Looking a bit further down the line, she caught Gristle and Cloud Guy. Cloud Guy looked super confused and weirded out. Gristle caught her gaze and just shrugged. How could they not know?

Branch walked past her and came up next to the principal. He leaned up and whispered something in his ear.

“Oh! You don’t.” Mr. Gregory turned to the group. “I’m sorry! ‘Branch’ Hunter.”

“Thank you,” Branch said. He turned to stand on the opposite side of the tall man.

“Can we give a round of applause for our sing-off group?” Principal Gregory started clapping, and everyone else followed. Once it died down, he addressed the students again.

“I would like all of you to go to your classes except for the 13 students up here. Have a great day, everyone.”

Once the auditorium was empty, Mr. Gregory turned to Branch. “Do you want to stay in here or have the theater room?”

“Theater room. It’ll be better.”

“Alright then. I leave them in your hands!” The principal turned to leave. 

“Good luck!” he yelled as he walked out of the room.

Branch started to turn around. “Alright, so we’re going to-“ 

Everyone was staring at him. “What?”

Cloud Guy came forward and snaked an arm around his shoulder. “What do you always say about nicknames, buddy?”

Branch put on a look of annoyance, before stepping to the side and dropping his friend’s arm. “They’re completely useless and real names are always more effective.”

Poppy couldn’t take it anymore. “Tiberius? TIBERIUS?”

“Um...yes?” he confirmed.

“So you scold all of us for using nicknames, but you use a nickname?” Smidge clarified.

He sighed. “I have my reasons. Creek knows why. Don’t ask him.”

Everyone smirked and turned to Creek. He just smiled back and ‘zipped his lips.’

Branch started to walk towards the exit. “Let’s go. And no more cracks about the name.”

Everyone made their way through the halls to the theater room on the other side of the school. “I need everyone to stand in a line on stage in groups based on your age.” Branch sat down at a table in front of the stage and watched as they shuffled around.

“Ok! All done, _Tiberius_!” Poppy proudly declared.

Branch frowned. “Don’t call me that.” He took a stack of papers and a pencil out of his bag and placed them on the table. “Now, I’m going to go down the line and get some info from all of you. Who’s starting?”

“I will!” Cooper piped up.

“Ok. I need you to tell me your favorite genre, favorite color, and favorite song.”

“What?” Poppy asked, confused. “You’re not going to ask us something that’s like, a Branch level question?”

“This is what I need to know. I spent an hour at the copy place last night making these forms.” He held up the stack of paper. “I have 13 of them.”

Cooper shrugged. “Pop and rap, ‘Move Your Feet’ by Junior Senior, and my favorite color is red. Or yellow. Or really anything but blue. You know what you did, Blue!” he yelled to nobody in particular, waving a fist in the air.

Branch slowly wrote down everything, obviously confused, then looked up. “Your last name is Bentley, right?” The tall boy nodded.

“Alright.” Branch wrote something at the bottom of the page, then looked up at the next person. “Do you want me to call you Sofia or Smidge?”

“Smidge!”

“Ok. Same three questions.”

She thought for a minute. “Yellow and blue, Under the Sea from The Little Mermaid, and Pop music! But I do sometimes listen to Heavy Metal while working out.”

“Ok...” he said before looking up. “Gristle. Green’s your favorite color, right?”

He hummed in confirmation. “Then my favorite song is Holiday by Madonna, and I like both Pop and Funk when I play my keyboard.”

Branch wrote it down, then looked up at the next person. “I suppose you’re going to want me to call you Guy instead of Gary, aren’t you?”

“Yep!”

“Ok then. ‘Guy’ Diamond. Who picked that out?”

“I did!” Poppy said.

Branch rolled his eyes. “Of course. Now, Guy. Questions.”

“Favorite color: Glitter!”

“Glitter’s not a color.”

“Come on! Don’t be such a stickler!”

Branch groaned. “I’ll put down glitter. Could you answer the other two questions?”

“Electronic Pop and 24K Magic by Bruno Mars.”

He made some notes on the bottom of the page, then got a new form and looked up on the stage before filling it out himself.

“Um, Branch?” Poppy leaned forward a bit. “What are you doing? Isn’t that mine?”

“I already know the answers you’re going to do. Favorite color,” he gestured to her, “obviously pink. Favorite genre: anything annoyingly upbeat that makes your eardrums explode. And favorite song: anything from OrionBolt.”

Poppy put her hands on her hips and looked down at him with the best glare she could muster. “For your information mister, my favorite song is not anything from OrionBolt.”

“Ok, then. What is it?” He erased what he had written.

“Get Back Up Again!”

“Who’s it by?” he asked without looking up.

“Me!”

That got Branch to look at her. “What did you say?”

“I wrote it!”

He put his pencil down and raised his hand to the bridge of his large nose. “I know I’m seriously going to regret this, but it would be helpful if you sang it for me.”

Poppy bounced excitedly as she took her phone out and brought up the song track. Everyone else backed off to give her a bit of room as she began.

[Get Back Up Again - Anna Kendrick]

“Wow. I had no idea that any one song could be so annoyingly upbeat,” Branch quipped sarcastically. “You say you wrote that?”

“Yep!”

Branch picked up his pencil again and made some notes at the bottom of Poppy’s form.

“Okay...Suki.”

“Tight, dude. My favorite color is orange, favorite genre is Pop, and favorite song is What U Workin’ With by Gwen Stefani.”

“Satin and Chenille next. Which one of you wants to go first?”

“Me!” Satin called.

“No, me!” her sister said.

“Pink, Swiss Electropop, and Can’t Stop the Feeling!” Satin yelled.

“Blue, sane genre, and same song!” Chenille yelled after her sister.

Branch quickly jotted it down. “And...on to the Juniors. Byron. You’re first.”

“Oh, please Branch. Call me Biggie!”

“Poppy’s nickname?”

Biggie nodded. “And for your questions, purple, Pop, and Under Pressure by David Bowie!”

“Ok. Next is... Bridget.”

“Ok, Branch. My favorite color is light pink, my favorite genre is soft Pop, and my favorite song is Hello by Lionel Ritchie!”

“Apparently I’m not the only one who actually likes soft Pop,” he mumbled to himself while writing. “Ok, who’s next?”

“Guess who, Dumpy Diapers.”

“Cirrus. I thought you were a Sophomore.”

“Better pay more attention, buddy.” He walked to the edge of the stage and leaned down, putting his hand out. “Down low?”

“No. Answer the questions, Cirrus.”

“Alright, alright. White and blue, Pop, and you know what my two favorite songs are.”

“Move Your Body and Party Night.” He wrote it in, along with the other info. “ Alright... lastly, we have Creek.”

“Thank you, mate. Now, I’m personally partial to some of the more relaxing colors. You know, purples and yellows and such. And I just enjoy some Pop music every now and then. As for favorite song… all songs have some kind of message that relates to life. But if you’re forcing me to choose one, it would be Dream A Little Dream of Me by Ella Fitzgerald.”

Branch finished the form and filled out his own before placing it on top of the pile.

“Um, Branch?”

He stood up and sighed. “Yes, Poppy?”

“Aren’t those supposed to be in order of age?”

“They are.”

“But you put yours on top!” She chuckled a bit. “You’re a Junior. Aren’t you like, 16?”

“Nope. 18 and more of a mature adult than you’ll ever be.”

Poppy was a bit taken aback by that comment, but she shrugged it off, remembering that this was _Branch_.

After clipping the stack and placing it in his bag, he stood up. “We’re going to meet Saturday morning at 10 am. Don’t be late. You can all go.”

They did just that, and everyone wondered the entire week what was in store for their first rehearsal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll find out later why Branch uses a nickname (looking at chapter 14 right now), so keep that in mind! For a VA for Principal Steven Gregory, I'm thinking Hugh Laurie. Thoughts on that?
> 
> Songs Included:  
> 'Can't Stop the Feeling' by Justin Timberlake (You're going to be seeing this A LOT)  
> 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' by Bonnie Tyler  
> 'Get Back Up Again' by Anna Kendrick from 'Trolls'
> 
> Alright, just as a heads up, I'm not going to be updating this for a couple weeks. I already have the next chapter written (not edited yet), so don't worry, I'm still working on it. I'm just going to be busy the next few weeks for a few reasons, mostly A) I have a short Thanksgiving fic I'm going to be focusing on, and B) I'm probably going to be spending the majority of next weekend watching all the season 1 Trollstopia episodes 20 million times each. So, the next chapter will not come out until After Thanksgiving. Thank you all for understanding.
> 
> Don't forget to let me know any of your favorite songs you think might fit into the story! I'm always looking for more :)


	8. Coconuts and A Video Gunshot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poppy and her friends arrive for the first rehearsal, and Branch starts having another rough day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another long chapter - 4600 words! 
> 
> The beginning and end sections are in third person, but I did something a little differently with this one, and the middle sections are in 1st person from Branch's point of view! Happy reading!

Scrapbook invitations were difficult to make.

Only a few people Poppy knew were able to successfully pull off the task, and she was glad to say that she was one of them.

Her friends were always looking forward to invitations she made. They could include anything from pop-ups to glitter streams to sound effects. Everybody loved them.

Well, almost everybody.

Branch always rejected her invitations. He would rip them, stomp on them, or throw them in the garbage. But Poppy still liked making them. She just hoped that he would accept the specially made one for her upcoming 16th birthday party. Everyone else did on the day of their first rehearsal.

“A costume party?” Biggie asked when she gave the pack their invitations.

“Super cool!” the twins said.

The 9 of them stood right outside the school, waiting for 10 am. They weren’t going to be late, but they sure weren’t going to be early, either. It was sunny and pretty warm despite being the middle of January, so none of them really minded standing outside in their sweaters for a while.

“Can we come as anything we want?” Guy asked.

“You sure can! I can’t wait to see all your costumes!”

As they all talked about the party and coordinating costumes, Poppy turned toward the parking lot to see if anyone else was coming. A Rolls-Royce drove in. No doubt Gristle’s car. He was so rich, he could buy the entire town of Troll Falls if he wanted. He and Poppy were friends, and she knew a lot about him, but she couldn’t understand why Bridget was in love with him. He was honestly a bit stuck up.

“Poppy?”

The pink girl turned around to see the pack looking directly at her. Bridget was with them. When did she get there?

“Yeah?”

“You ok?” Smidge asked. “We’ve been talking, but you haven’t responded.”

“Sorry! Just thinking about something!” she apologized. “What were you saying?”

“I was asking how many people you were inviting,” Guy said.

“Oh!” She put her hand on her chin and thought for a few seconds. “14 people!” 

Poppy took out another invitation and held it out to Bridget. The little felt figure popped up and yelled, ‘You’re Invited!’

“That’s 9 out of 14! Think you can make it, Bridge?’”

“I wouldn’t miss it!”

“Great!”

“Who else are you inviting?” Cooper asked.

“Well, there’s my Aunt Gloria. Then Gristle and Cloud Guy, of course. And my cousin Priscilla. She always likes costume parties.”

“Costume party, huh?” She heard a voice behind her say.

She quickly spun around and saw Cloud Guy and Gristle standing behind her. Did they come together?

“Yep! And you’re both invited!” Poppy took out two more invitations just like the others.

“Wow. So...elaborate!” Gristle said.

“Come on, Gris. I know you must be used to my invitations by now!”

“Well, they get more intricate every time.”

“Still, it would be great if everyone could make it!” she said.

“Hey guys?” Poppy heard DJ say. She quickly turned around. “It’s 9:58. We should probably get in there if we don’t want Branch to scold us.”

They all agreed, then walked into the school and made their way to the drama room. He wasn’t there.

“Where’s Branch?” Bridget asked.

“Maybe he’s backstage,” Poppy suggested. “I’ll go look.”

She ran up the stairs at the front of the room and through the wings to the backstage room. As she scanned the area, she was met with a very unexpected sight.

Branch was there, alright. 

Sitting in a chair against the wall, fast asleep. Dead to the world. He was even snoring a little.

Ok, snoring a lot. Poppy didn’t know if he was a high schooler or a buzzsaw.

He looked so peaceful, though.

Looking a little closer, she noticed that he wasn’t wearing his usual attire. He had ditched the turtleneck and the leather jacket and instead wore a light grey t-shirt and a short green sleeveless vest with a leaf pattern. Made him look a little less intimidating.

With the new clothes, Poppy realized that he was actually very well built, with defined muscles on his arms. Her gaze traveled up to his face. She had never noticed before because of the scowl, but he had some very handsome facial features. 

The greasy black hair normally hidden by his beanie was thick and unruly, and had a bit of a blue tint when hit by the light. It also looked like he hadn’t shaved that morning; he had the stubble of a beard going across his face. He had a strong jaw and high cheek bones, too.

She turned around and quietly walked back to the main room. Everyone else was talking on the stage. “Hey guys?” 

The 11 of them turned her way. “You need to see this.” Poppy motioned for them to follow her as she went backstage once again. They were all talking fairly loudly until they saw what she wanted them to look at, then they quickly became silent.

“Hm. Captain No-slappy does know how to relax.”

We all stared for a second, until Poppy noticed something. His mouth started to curl up, not much, but enough to be noticeable. She gasped, surprised. “Aw! He’s smiling!”

The pink girl looked around at everyone else, and they all seemed even more surprised than me. None of us had ever seen Branch smile before.

But it was quickly wiped away and replaced by a frown. He thrashed a little, mumbling something.

“What-what’s happening?” Poppy started to move towards him in concern, but someone put their hand on her shoulder to stop her. She quickly turned around.

“Just relax, love,” Creek said. “It’s just a harmless nightmare. He’s alright now. Look.” Poppy followed his finger back to Branch, who was now still, hands dangling at his sides and breathing nice and even.

“Should we wake him up?” Bridget asked.

“Do we have to?” Gristle said. “This is kind of entertaining!”

“If we don’t, we’re never gonna get rehearsal started,” Cooper pointed out.

Poppy walked to him and put her hand on one of his broad shoulders. “Branch?” she whispered quietly. “Hey, Branch?”

He stirred a bit, then smiled again. “Poppy...” he mumbled. That was odd. Usually when he said her name, it was with a scowl, not a smile.

She took her hand off his shoulder and leaned in front of him. His smile disappeared again. “Branch?” Why wouldn’t he wake up?

Cloud Guy walked up next to her. “Leave it to me, Poppy.” She nodded, then backed up to stand with the rest of the pack. What was he going to do?

He stood up in front of Branch and took a deep breath. “Dumpy Diapers!” he yelled.

Well, that was one way to wake up someone.

Branch abruptly shot out of the chair, arms out and eyes wide. 

“HIDE THE COCONUTS!”

He remained in that stance as he looked around. “Oh, uh...” he cleared his throat and put his arms down.

“Did you say, ‘hide the coconuts?’” Poppy asked.

“Uh...” He cleared his throat again. “Um...”

Gristle suddenly burst into laughter. Poppy started to chuckle as well, followed by everyone but Creek and Bridget. To be honest, it was pretty funny!

“Ok, that’s enough!” Branch said.

The laughter started to die down. “What’s wrong?” Guy asked. “Did we forget to...Hide the coconuts!” He lurched toward Branch as he said it, causing another round of laughter. 

“Very funny. Are you done?” Branch asked, unamused.

Poppy stopped laughing and looked around. Everyone else was just as amused. Well, except for Creek and Bridget. But it did look like Creek was having a hard time trying not to laugh. And he hardly ever found _anything_ that amusing. That was one of the things Poppy liked about him; how he was so calm all the time.

Branch walked past her and stood next to the wings. “Does anyone care that this is cutting into rehearsal time?”

“Branch is right, mates!” Creek stood next to him. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

Poppy shrugged. Might as well. Singing was her favorite activity after all. You know, along with dancing, scrapbooking, and hugging. And as soon as practice was over, she would be able to give Branch his invitation to her party.

* * *

[Branch’s POV]

To say Princess Poppy was pretty would have been an understatement.

More like completely and utterly ravishing and beautiful. She was also kind. And caring. And she had the greatest singing voice. She was good at everything from scrapbooking to taking care of kids, and she loved everyone and everything.

She was perfect.

I used to collect those Scandinavian troll dolls. All sizes, colors, and styles. I had a whole room full of them. I still have them, but now they’re just sitting in a box in the corner of my apartment. Every once in a while, I look through the box at the wooden dolls.

There are a select few, mostly ones that I either made or touched up, that I keep on a small table underneath the window in my bedroom. They all resemble someone I either know or used to know.

I always have a lot of time on my hands some weekdays. I work after school on Saturdays, and do OrionBolt business on Sundays, so I tend to write a lot in my free time. Those troll dolls I have served as the inspiration for an alternate world I created for my stories. 

It’s a pretty ideal world; everyone is out of their mind happy, and they sing and dance all day. They can eat as much sugar as they want and never get sick. And there’s a tradition that all the ‘trolls’ hug every hour.

Poppy would love it.

Not everyone is a troll, of course. For Cirrus, I literally carved a cloud that wears socks with no shoes, since everyone calls him Cloud Guy. Gristle and Bridget just don’t seem like they would be Trolls, so I created a pizza loving race called the Bergens. There aren’t any toys that would fit that, so I carved the giant creatures myself and painted them.

All the other people I know are Trolls. The pack, or whatever they call themselves, are 9 colorful trolls that are Princess Poppy’s closest friends. They’re the happiest and most diverse group in the village. I painted and carved for a while to get their troll appearances right.

Then there’s me.

Unlike the others, who are all colorful and happy, Branch is grey. Grey skin and black hair. That’s the sign of an unhappy troll in my world. He only sings when he’s alone, lives alone and apart from the village, and doesn’t like affection. He doesn’t have any really good friends or any family, and he never smiles. The only thing with sugar he’ll eat is chocolate.

Just like me.

I know my wooden dolls better than I know the people they’re based off. I even sometimes have dreams surrounding them. That’s how I get story inspiration. Those dolls have gotten me through some tough times. 

The morning of our first rehearsal, I just couldn’t sleep. I got insomnia every once in a while, but was usually able to get to sleep again. This time I couldn’t, so I got out of bed about 2 am and decided to write a bit.

I would never dare tell anyone, but I often wrote poetry in some of my spare time. Most of it was sappy love stuff about a certain pink-haired angel, which I made sure never to breath to her.

Half a journal and three #2 pencils later, I still couldn’t sleep, so I decided to do the next best thing: see if there were any good documentaries on tv.

I slugged over to the couch and collapsed, grabbing the tattered remote as I went down. I flipped through the channels and found something on one of my favorite conspiracy theories. I personally supported it.

I stayed through the whole thing. It turned out that the theory was disproven at the time the broadcast was filmed, but there was no harm in thinking it still was. I stretched and yawned, then walked over to where my phone was charging on the counter of the kitchenette. 

I turned it on, and my eyes widened. How was it already 8:00? Was the documentary that long? There was no time for anything! I needed to get down to the school!

Instead of having a proper breakfast like usual, I dove into my chocolate stash and shoved a few bars into my duffel, along with the forms and my phone. I didn’t even bother to check if I looked somewhat decent. I just threw on some clothes, put on some shoes, grabbed one of the many matching vests hanging by the door, and ran out.

As I ran downstairs, I noticed that my landlord wasn’t there like he usually was. Odd. I went outside and to the bike rack, only to find that my bike was gone.

Had it been stolen? There was no use in trying to get it back. Bergenville had a high crime rate, and the police didn’t really do much because of that.

I started to walk. The school was a good 20 minutes from the dump I was unlucky enough to call my living quarters. Nobody else was there when I got to the drama room, so I decided to try and get my faculties in order backstage.

To be honest, I was exhausted. Watching a 4 hour documentary did that to you. I didn’t think there would be any harm in just taking a short rest, so I dropped my duffel next to a chair and sat down, leaning my head against the wall. I would wake up before everyone got there, right? That was the plan. My eyes closed and I descended into dreamland.

* * *

Being the only troll in the village that didn’t sing or dance in front of people definitely made you an outcast. Being the only one that was unhappy and didn’t wear colorful clothing added to it as well.

But Princess Poppy was always coming around. She was perfect, and I was in love with her.

It was the same thing every day. I walked into the village, and trolls avoided me. They knew I wanted to be alone. I heard the familiar chime of those annoying hug time bracelets, and felt someone launch themselves at me from behind.

“Hi Branch!”

I struggled out of the hold and adjusted my bag. “Poppy.”

“I have something for you!”

Of course she did. “I’m not going to any parties, Poppy.” I started to walk away, but she followed me, like always.

“Oh, it isn’t an invitation!” She ran in front of me and reached out, enveloping me in a hug at the same time she planted her lips firmly to my cheek.

I instantly blushed. Princess Poppy, the happiest Troll alive, had just given me a kiss. Was I flustered? Yes. Was I confused? Also very much yes.

“W-why d-did you k-kiss me?” I managed to choke out. I would have normally run away screaming, and watched as she instantly regretted her decision to kiss the grump, but I was too surprised for that.

She pulled away with a confused expression. “Why wouldn’t I kiss the Troll I love?”

I gave a small smile, instantly feeling lighter, and very happy she wasn’t disgusted. “This is the best gift you’ve ever given me.”

But all good things must come to an end. One minute I was with Poppy, the next I was in the middle of a street. The Princess was slowly fading away, and I realized as I took in my surroundings there had been a car accident nearby.

As much as I hoped it wasn’t, I slowly came to realize it was the car accident. The one that changed my life and made the worst day ever.

A motionless body lay nearby, having been thrown from the car. The sound of sirens And crackling fire was all I heard as I tried to run up to the body, hoping and praying she was alive. As suddenly as the horrible scene came up, it was gone, and I was suddenly alone in a dark room. I could see all the bad memories of losing my loved ones. My knees gave out, and I sunk down. 

Silence.

There weren’t even any of the relaxing sounds of the forest. Just emptiness. 

I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see Poppy was back.

“Branch.”

I smiled. It felt so good to hear her say my name, just like it was so comforting to have her there. “Poppy.” As soon as I said it, her hand came off my shoulder. Well, there goes the smile.

I looked around. She was gone again, and I was still in the room.

Until I wasn’t.

Hearing a yell, I shot up.

“HIDE THE COCONUTS!”

I don’t know why I said it. Grandma used to tell me that I would yell it whenever anything woke me up when I was young, but I had no memory of it. I always figured I had some traumatic experience with coconuts when I was really young, but I had no way to know for sure. I looked around the room and saw that everyone was there for rehearsal.

Great.

* * *

  
  


After a bit of teasing, everyone went to the main room. The 12 teens stood on stage, and Branch took his duffel with him to the small folding table in front of the seats. “So, we need to figure out who’s the best in each performance area.”

He yawned. “I want everyone I haven’t heard to sing something so I can see who has the best voice. We’ll go with...Guy first.”

Guy grabbed a microphone from his back pocket and stepped forward.

“You can’t use that. I don’t want anything amplified.”

“I need it to sing!”

“No, you don’t. What song excerpt are you going to do?”

“But it’s an auto tune mike!” he objected.

Another yawn. “It’s not like you’re tone deaf or something, right? Ditch it.”

“I am tone deaf, Branch.”

Branch sat up in his chair. “What? Why are you even here, then?”

“Just listen and learn.” Guy flipped a switch on the mike, and Poppy stood off to the side, playing the music on her phone.

_“We’re just gettin’ started_

_Make sure the crowd has parted_

_You’re gonna leave this competition broken, broken hearted_

_We’re rockin’ to the beat_

_We’re gonna bring the heat_

_We’re burning up this street_

_And we’re always number one_

_So respect your champions!”_

“Hm. I guess that is handy.” Branch made some notes at the bottom of Guy’s form. “Who wants to go next?”

“Ooh! I’ll do it!” Poppy exclaimed.

Branch took out what looked like her form. “What song are you going to do?”

“How about ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ by Cindy Lauper?”

“Could you actually sing something slower?” he requested. “I’ve heard you constantly doing all those happy upbeat songs, but I can’t really judge it properly if you can’t handle softer stuff.”

“Oh. Um, yeah. I can do that.”

She went backstage for a second, looking around for her mandolin. Once she found it, she went back and played a starting tune.

_“Hello darkness, my old friend_

_I've come to talk with you again_

_Because a vision softly creeping_

_Left its seeds while I was sleeping_

_And the vision that was planted in my brain_

_Still remains_

_Within' the sound of silence.”_

Poppy strummed the last few notes, then looked down at Branch.

Who had fallen asleep, head on the table. Are you kidding me? she thought.

“Branch!”

His head shot up. “Huh? What?”

Poppy just stared at him. “What?” he said again.

“You were seriously just asleep, man,” Cooper pointed out. “Again.”

“Oh.”

Poppy put down her mandolin and went down in front of him. “Branch, how much sleep did you get last night?”

“Does it matter?” he snapped. 

“Yes.”

“I don’t know,” he yawned. His hand went up and rubbed at his eyes. “Maybe...3 hours?” he said groggily.

Was this the same guy that was always scolding them about healthy habits? Poppy saw him look past her to the stage, obviously not wanting to continue the conversation any further.

“Bridget. How about you go next?”

“Um, ok.” Poppy sighed and went back to the stage as she got out her phone for a track.

_“I've been alone with you_

_Inside my mind,” Bridget started, taking a glance at Gristle. “And in my dreams I've kissed your lips, a thousand times. I sometimes see you p_ _ass outside my door..._

_Hello!_

_Is it me you're looking for?”_

Despite the fact that she was technically singing to Gristle, Poppy thought Bridget was doing pretty well. She hoped Branch thought the same.

_“I can see it in your eyes. I can see it in your smile! You're all I've ever wanted, and my arms are open wide!”_ For dramatic effect, Bridget actually opened her arms, causing Branch to roll his eyes.

_“‘Cause you know just what to say, and you know just what to do, and I want to tell you so much... I love you.”_

“Good,” was all Branch said before making notes and moving onto the next form. Bridget and Poppy sighed, both grateful Branch didn’t like romance and didn’t pick up on the crush. “Creek. You’re really the only other person I haven’t heard sing before.”

“Alright, mate! I might be able to do something for you.” He whipped out his phone. “If you’ll just give me a moment to find a track...ah!”

_“See, I spend my money on women and wine, but I couldn't tell you where I spent last night! I'm really sorry 'bout the shape I'm in, I just like my fun every now and then. I'm always working, slaving, every day! Gotta get a break from the same old, same old!”_

Poppy was practically dancing at this point. Creek would often sing a rock song if he was in the mood for it, and it seemed today he was.

_“Don't need nothin' but a good time! How can I resist? Ain't lookin' for nothin' but a good time! And it don't get better than this!”_

Poppy looked down to see how Branch would react. She honestly had no idea if he liked it or not. His brows were knitted in confusion as he wrote something on Creek’s form. 

“Could you sing something different?”

Wow. That was not what anyone expected him to say.

“Um...what?”

Branch stood up. “I want you-“ he pointed at Creek, “-to sing something different than that song. Maybe a different genre.” He sat back down with an impatient expression. Did he not like it?

“If that’s what you want, mate.” He searched for a new track. When it started, Poppy instantly recognized it. That was one of her favorites.

_“I can't fight this feeling any longer, and yet I'm still afraid to let it flow. What started out as friendship has grown stronger... I only wish I had the strength to let it show…”_

Poppy had to use all her strength not to sing the next verse when she saw Creek glance at her while singing.

The thing about Branch was that he never showed any emotion, so it was really difficult for her to tell how he liked Creek’s beautiful voice as he made more notes.

“For the most part, I’ve heard everyone else. I want to talk to Bridget, the rest of you can take 5.”

Branch and Bridget stood on the edge of the stage while everyone else gathered in the middle. Smidge held her phone up.

“Who wants to see my newest video?”

“Yes!” They all gathered around as she tapped on her phone. Smidge always had really entertaining videos.

“My dad and one of my brothers have been on a hunting trip all week,” she started in her baritone, “and they sent me this hilarious video!”

The video started, although a bit loud. Smidge’s older brother, Carl, held the camera as her dad tried to shoot a bird. He took aim... then shot at it.

_Thud._ “Get down!”

They all looked up to see Branch had hit the floor with his arms over his head.

“What are you doing?” Poppy asked. She heard Smidge’s dad shoot at the bird again.

“Get down!” Branch hissed at them from under his arms.

“Um...why?” Guy asked as Smidge paused her video.

He put his head up a bit. “Are you all deaf? Did you not just hear the gunshots?”

“Ohhhh...” Poppy looked around at everyone else, who were trying to stifle laughs. “Those were on Smidge’s video!”

“Oh.” He stood up and brushed himself off, then turned to them with a frown. “Don’t do that again, yeah?” he said sharply with a slight crack in his voice.

“Branch? Are you...ok?” Poppy asked, walking up to him.

He turned away. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand. It’s not like you remember.”

Was he talking about... her mother? “Branch...what are you...”

His fists clenched and he started walking down the stairs to his table. “Crystal Joy.”

Poppy hadn’t thought about my mother in a while. She didn’t know her all that well, since, like Branch said, she died when she was only two. But how did he know? “Nothing like that is going to happen again, Branch! I know it!”

He sat down and stared directly at her with a scowl. “You don’t know anything, Poppy. The world isn’t all cupcakes and rainbows, ok? Bad things happen, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

He sighed, but Poppy ignored it as she stormed over to him. “Hey, I know the world isn’t all cupcakes and rainbows. But I’d rather go life thinking that it mostly is instead of being like you!”

He just stared at her. He looked a little offended, to be honest. She continued, ignoring the protests of the pack behind her. “You don’t sing. You don’t dance! We never see you smile! You always act so grey all the time! What happened to–“

She was silenced by Branch’s finger on her lips. He glared for a few seconds, just daring her to say something else, before slowly removing his finger and standing up. Never taking his eyes off her as he picked up his bag, he walked around to the front of the table.

“You wanna know what happened?” His voice was low and kind of intimidating. “Well I’m not gonna tell you. You need to finally learn that there are no cupcakes and rainbows in the world.”

That was it. “Can you please try to be positive? Just once! You might like it!” she rebutted.

He turned sharply on his heels and started to walk along the long rows of chairs to the door. “Choose a song all of you know to perform for me when I get back,” he called as he walked. “Creek’s in charge until then!” He pushed open the double doors and walked out.

Poppy started to run after him. “Wait! I’m sorry, ok?” She felt a hand on her arm holding her back, and turned around to see Creek.

“Let’s just give Branch a moment, alright love?”

Poppy slowly nodded and made her way back to the stage, secretly hoping Branch was alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs in this chapter:  
> 'Can't Fight This Feeling' by REO Speedwagon (Russell Brand cover)  
> 'Nothin But A Good Time' by Poison (Russell Brand cover)  
> 'Sound of Silence' by Simon and Garfunkel (Anna Kendrick cover)  
> 'Hello' by Lionel Ritchie (Zooey Deschanel cover)  
> 'Sing Off Medley' from S04E01 of TtBGO
> 
> A bit of a tense moment between Poppy and Branch at the end there, wasn't it? I based Branch's offense on the moment in the first movie where he looks offended after Poppy said the Bergens were as miserable as he was.
> 
> I'm starting a new "series" on here called Fun Development Facts, or FDF, where you all get a little inside look at the writing process for each chapter. Here it is!:  
> I was originally going to have Creek sing 'I Want Candy' by Bow Wow Wow since Russell Brand sang it in Hop, but then I heard him sing 'Can't Fight This Feeling' and 'Nothin But A Good Time,' both from this movie I've never seen called Rock of Ages, and I thought, "Is this seriously him?" Now I understand why the Dreamworks website says that when Creek sings, the other Trolls listen!  
> The first and last sections of this were also originally going to be in first person from Poppy's POV, and Branch's dream was going to be different.
> 
> And I hope you like that little arc about Branch's Troll World, which will be expanded on later. But it's pretty much just the movie world we all know and love.
> 
> Don't forget that song requests are always welcome! Next chapter should come out later this week if everything goes alright.


	9. A Caramel Square and A Mandolin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my favorite chapter so far. Hope you all enjoy it!

“Let’s just give Branch a moment, alright love?”

Poppy nodded and followed Creek back to the stage, deciding to listen to the advice and give Branch a couple minutes to cool down. “Ok, you all heard what he said! How about we all get together and prepare a song for our little grump?”

Everyone agreed and started talking about what they wanted to do. Poppy, in the meantime, took Cloud Guy aside, having an idea.

“You and Branch are good friends, right?”

“You could say me and Dumpy Diapers have an understanding,” he replied with a sly smile.

Poppy clasped her hands in front of her. “Do...do you think you could go out and make sure he’s okay? I would do it myself, but...I don’t really think he wants to see me right now.”

Cloud Guy shrugged. “Sure. I can do that.”

Poppy pulled him into a quick hug. “Thanks.”

“Anytime.” They pulled away, and Poppy watched as her friend walked out the double doors before turning around and going back to the rest of the group.

“So, did we decide what song we’re gonna do?”

Satin and Chenille turned to her. “Start with ‘Move Your Feet,’ the former said.

“Then ‘D.A.N.C.E.,” the latter continued.

“And finish it all off with ‘Sunshine Day!’” they both said.

“Awesome choices! Is it the same arrangement we did for the first day of Summer last year?”

“Yep!” Cooper exclaimed.

“And does everyone remember the arrangement?”

The pack nodded. “But we’ll have to teach it to Bridget and Gristle,” DJ pointed out.

Poppy clicked her tongue. “Right. And Cloud Guy already knows it.”

For the next ten minutes or so, the 11 teens practiced their song, while also teaching it to the honorary pack members.

“Alright, I do believe that’s good for right now,” Creek announced. “Let’s all take a break until Branch comes back.”

Poppy smiled and nodded with the others before taking out her phone and sitting on the edge of the stage. Someone sat next to her, and she turned.

“Hi Smidge,” she said before looking back at her phone.

“Who’s Crystal Joy?”

Poppy lowered her phone when she heard both the question and the silence that followed from everyone else behind her. “What?”

“Who is Crystal Joy?”

“She was my mother. She died when I was 2,” she replied with a sad smile.

She heard several sets of footsteps come up behind her. 

“You never talk about her,” she heard DJ say.

“Yeah! What happened to her?” Cooper asked.

Poppy responded by pulling up a 13 year old news article on her phone. She turned around and handed it to the group to look.

  
  


**_Fatal Shooting at Dam Park Kills Two, Injures Mayor_ **

**_August 14_ **

**_By Staff Writer Maggie Gums_ **

_ At 2 pm yesterday afternoon, police responded to a call that fire had opened at the popular Dam Park. Our town Mayor, Peppy Bloom, was taken into care with a minor leg wound. There were two fatalities. Mayor Peppy’s wife, Crystal Bloom, age 36, died a few hours after the shooting. She was described by family and friends as a beloved member of the community who will be dearly missed. She and Mayor Peppy have one daughter, age 2, who was not at the scene.  _

_ The other victim was a family friend of the Blooms. Jessie Stix, age 35, was killed immediately. She had one son, age 5. The boy and his grandmother, who were both on the scene, are witnesses to the incident. _

_ The suspect, Nangus Crusher, is a retired prison warden. He is described as a heavyset man with long black hair and brown eyes. Police are actively searching, and anyone who sees him is encouraged to call in. He is said to be armed and dangerous. _

_ While the Mayor is in the hospital, the two children are being taken into temporary custody by Jessie Stix’s mother, who was not injured. This was the first time an incident like this has happened in almost 90 years. Mayor Peppy is expected to recover quickly and make a statement on the incident next week. _

  
  


After they were done reading the article, the phone was handed back to Poppy.

“To be honest, I don’t remember anything about it,” Poppy said, swinging her legs over the edge. “And Dad never talks about it.”

“Wow...I can’t even imagine what it would be like to lose your mother that way,” Gristle said.

Poppy smiled and shrugged. “Well, it’s all in the past. I feel worse for the other kid! I mean, he literally saw his mom be killed right before his eyes!” She frowned a bit and put her hand over her heart.

“Do you have any idea what happened to them?” Smidge asked. “The article said they were friends of your dad’s.”

Poppy shook her head. “Nope. I hope they fared as well as I did, though.”

Everyone heard a creak and looked up to see the door of the room opening. Cloud Guy and Branch both walked back in.

* * *

Cloud Guy exited the theater and looked around the hallways. Where would a grump go if he was upset? He turned to the left and started for the library, where he often went for quiet. Sure enough, he was there. 

Writing in a small book and eating chocolate.

Cloud Guy walked up to him. “Branch.”

He grunted, still writing.

“Whatcha writing?”

Branch swiveled his chair away and popped a caramel square into his mouth.

“Poppy didn’t mean it, you know.”

“Mmhm.”

“You’re going to have to acknowledge me sooner or later, buddy.”

He sighed and put down his pencil while swiveling the chair. 

“Didn’t know you liked chocolate.”

“It’s nutritious,” Branch said bluntly. “And I can stockpile it.”

“Yeah. You know, we both know that you’re gonna end up going back sooner or later.”

“You don’t have to rub it in.”

They both sat in silence for a bit, both of them eating chocolate and Branch writing in his book. After a while, Cloud Guy broke the silence.

“Remember how we met?”

Branch looked up and raised a confused eyebrow. “I threatened you with a stick.”

“Yep! Good times.” 

He raised the other eyebrow. “Good times?”

“I was really able to get a rise out of you for a while! I mean, I still am, but, you know.”

Branch turned back to his book. “Your point?” he grumbled.

“You used to hate me, but now we’re best friends!” He threw an arm around the grouchy teen’s shoulder. “Mejores amigos! You can’t possibly expect me to believe all that baloney about hating Poppy.”

Branch grumbled again, taking a bite of a chocolate bar.

“Because I know you love her,” Cirrus added in a sing-song voice.

That got a rise. Branch spit out the chocolate and turned to his friend, wide eyed. “Did you get into my journal again?”

“I’m like a cloud, Branch. I can get in anywhere.”

“We need to talk about that.”

Cirrus started to walk out of the room. “Later. We gotta go back!”

Branch sighed and packed up his stuff. “Alright. They’re probably all sitting around doing nothing anyways.”

* * *

  
  
  


“I was right!”

Branch threw up his arms in exasperation as soon as he walked back into the drama room. As he had predicted, everyone was just sitting on stage.

Poppy looked up. “Right about what?”

Branch, followed by Cloud Guy, started for the front of the room. “That all of you would be sitting around not practicing!” He emphasized those last two words.

“We’re done practicing!” Poppy declared proudly.

“Well then,” Branch sat down at his table, “you won’t mind performing for me.”

“Sure!”

Poppy turned to the group and Cloud Guy stepped on stage with them. “Everyone ready?” she yelled. Hearing them chorus yeses, she looked at Branch.

“This is something we all did for a Summer party I hosted last year.”

The 12 of them got into position, and DJ brought up a track on her phone.

  
  


Poppy:  _ Everybody, move your feet and feel united, Oh oh oh! _

Creek: _ Everybody, shake your hair and feel united, Oh oh oh! _

All:  _ Yeah! _

Bridget:  _ Everybody’s coming to the celebration! _

Poppy:  _ I'mma hook you up with the invitation! _

All:  _ Let your feet move and party with me! No bad vibes, just love, you'll see! _

Poppy & DJ:  _ Do the D-A-N-C-E, 1, 2, 3, 4, fight! Stick to the B-E-A-T, get ready to ignite! _

Creek & Guy:  _ You were such a P-Y-T, catching all the lights! _

All:  _ Just easy as A-B-C _

_ That's how you make it right! _

Cooper started to rap the lyrics as everyone surrounded him dancing in the middle of the stage.

Cooper:  _ It ain't hard out here, when you're doing it right! Put a smile on blast, that's the troll life! _

Poppy: And I'm here to help you through it!

She turned to face Smidge, who was juggling barbells.

"Come on Smidge I know you can do it!"

“Your confidence gives me strength!” Smidge threw them all in the air, then twirled around and caught them.

There was a musical interlude as everyone shifted positions, then started dancing again.

All:  _ Everybody, move your feet and feel united, oh oh oh! _

All but Poppy: _ Sunshine day! _

Poppy:  _ Everybody’s laughing! _

All but Poppy:  _ Sunshine day! _

Poppy:  _ Everybody’s singing! _

More music...while everyone danced freestyle.

Pack minus Creek: _ Don't stop, don't stop the beat! I can't stop, I can't stop the beat! I won't stop, won't stop the beat! _

Poppy pointed at Branch. “Go!”

All: _ Everybody, move your feet and feel united, oh oh oh! _

All but Poppy:  _ Sunshine day! _

Poppy:  _ Everybody’s laughing! _

All but Poppy:  _ Sunshine day! _

Poppy:  _ Everybody’s singing! _

All:  _ Sunshine day! _

Poppy took a solo as everyone else went on backup vocals.

_ “Everybody, move your hair and feel united, oh oh oh _

_ Yeah! oh!” _

Everyone got into pyramid positions, Poppy on Cooper’s shoulders at the front.

All: Yeah!

Everyone stood on stage, breathing heavily while still in their final positions. They looked down at Branch, who had finished writing on their forms.

He stood up and clapped three times, very slowly. “I probably could have heard you from a mile away.”

Poppy climbed down and walked to the edge of the stage as everyone else got out of their positions. “Good, I was worried we weren’t projecting enough.”

“That wasn’t a compliment, Poppy,” Branch deadpanned.

“Oh.”

“So,” he started shuffling his papers, “I would like to have a meeting tomorrow so we can go over some stuff, but I need suggestions as to where we should meet.”

“Ooh!” Poppy jumped and raised her hand. “We can meet at my house!”

Branch froze for a second, then looked up at her, his eyebrow raised. “You’re sure Paul won’t mind?”

The room became silent. “Wha-what did you just say?

Catching his slip-up, Branch quickly started to pack up his stuff. “I said, uh...you can all go home for today, and when you get a time, then text everyone!” he said nervously.

Poppy exchanged a glance with the pack, then shook it off and turned back to Branch, hands on her hips. “I don’t even have your number!”

He stopped halfway to the door and turned around. “Right.” He put his hand to his chin. “Hmm.”

“Can’t you just give me your number?” Poppy asked exasperated.

Branch snorted. “Right. Like I’m actually going to give you my number. I’m not going to have you calling me 24/7. There are only four people that have my number, and it’s going to stay that way.”

“Then how exactly am I supposed to let you know what time?” Poppy asked, her and everyone else following him out of the room.

“You text Gristle, and Gristle can text me.”

“Who else has your number?” Poppy asked after everyone walked out of the building. “Oh! Is it Cloud Guy?” She put her arm excitedly on Branch’s shoulder.

He brushed it off. “No, it’s not. Why would I tell you who has my number?”

“Because you’re my friend!” She lunged at him for a hug, which he was not able to get away from quickly enough. He was really cold, one of the side effects of just wearing short sleeves in the middle of January.

After about a second, she gasped and released him.

“Finally. I’m going to go now...” Branch slowly started to turn and walk towards the street.

“WAIT!”

Poppy, surrounded by the pack, grabbed her last invitation and came up to Branch as he turned back.

“Oh please, no,” he said, putting his hand on the bridge of his nose.

Before she could open it, Cooper leaned in. Branch knew he thought he couldn’t hear, but he could. “Are you sure you want to invite this party pooper to poop on your party?” He said it pretty much every time Poppy invited him to something, and it always got him.

“Yes!” She opened the invitation in front of him, and he lifted his head to look. Two little figures popped up. The brighter one, Poppy, was hugging the scrapbook Branch. Words shot up.

‘You’re invited to my birthday party!’ the sound box sang. He just stared at her while the invite sprayed glitter in his face for a few seconds. Why did she have to smile throughout the entire thing?

After the glitter had died down, he looked at his watch, then back at her.

“It’s gonna be the best. Party. Ever!” she said. “Whaddya say?”

“I say that I’m not going to be caught dead at one of your crazy parties!” In one swift motion, he grabbed the invitation and dropped it in his bag, then quickly started walking towards the street. 

Poppy ran after him as he stepped onto the sidewalk. “Branch! Wait!”

He groaned and turned around, putting a hand up to stop Poppy from advancing any further. “Listen. As much as absolutely love talking to you,” he said sarcastically before hitching his thumb down the sidewalk, “I have somewhere I need to be.”

Poppy looked confused. “You’re walking? Where’s your bike?”

“Stolen.” When she opened her mouth to reply, he put his finger up. “And I don’t want or need a ride.” 

Poppy just stared at him as he lowered his finger. Why did he have to be so stubborn? She put on a big smile. “Well, I’m going to make sure you get a ride whether you want it or not! Where are you going?”

“Work.”

Poppy’s smile washed away. “That’s all the way downtown! You can’t walk there!”

Branch widened his eyes, then narrowed them. “How do you know where I work?”

“Umm...” she looked back at Guy, DJ, and Cooper, who shrank a bit at the glare Branch gave them. He looked at Poppy.

“Do you even have a license?”

Her smile grew as she pulled a paper out of the back pocket of her jeans. “Learner’s permit! I can drive if you’re in the passenger seat!”

He crossed his arms. “It won’t be legal.”

“Why not?” she asked confused but still with a smile.

“Don’t have a license,” he said, shrugging.

Poppy’s smile finally faded. “Are you kidding me? You work in a garage and you don’t know how to drive?”

He frowned. “Never learned how. Are you done now?” He was getting really annoyed with her asking all these questions.

“Nope!” she said with a smile, popping the ‘p’. “We still need to find someone to drive you to work!”

She turned to everyone else. “Well? Anyone wanna give Branch a ride?”

“Sure.” Cloud Guy stepped up. “Gristle left his wallet at my house last week, so I’m driving.”

Branch backed away, a look of horror on his face. “No, no, no no no no, no. I am not getting in the car with you.” He pointed at Cirrus. “I’ve seen the way you drive.” 

“Anyone else?” Poppy asked.

“Poppy, I can just walk!” he stressed again.

“I’m not gonna let you!”

“Oh, yes you are!” He turned around, but Poppy grabbed his vest. Couldn’t she just leave him alone already?

She released his hold on his vest and smiled sweetly at him. “Oh, Branch. Need I remind you of the ‘mandolin incident’ last year?”

His eyes widened and his mouth closed. He grumbled before saying, “Well, I guess I’m not walking to work. What do you want me to do?” He put on a fake smile.

The pack looked at Poppy, then Branch, then each other. What just happened? It must have been something either really significant or embarrassing for Branch to be at Poppy’s mercy like that.

“Great!” She turned to her confused friends. “Who has a car? And is willing to take a little detour downtown?”

“I suppose I could drive him,” Creek offered. “I’m heading to the Schwimmer Building anyways, which is only a few blocks away.” He looked at Branch. “Whaddya say, mate?”

Branch scowled. “You can go to-“

“Branch...mandolin.” Poppy smiled.

He groaned again. Why did he have to burn that thing? She had him doing stuff like this for a year because of it. Then again, he never did apologize, so that might have something to do with it. “Alright, Creek. Lead the way,” he said through gritted teeth.

The two boys headed to Creek’s car, while everyone else talked about the party before going their separate ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song in this chapter:  
> 'Move Your Feet/D.A.N.C.E./Sunshine Day' - From the 'Trolls' soundtrack
> 
> Don't know when the next update will be, I still have to edit the next chapter. Does the waiting make it worth it?  
> Don't forget, song requests/suggestions are always welcome!


	10. Weird Trolls and A Boatload of Chocolate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rehearsal at Poppy's house comes around, and in the process, Branch meets an old friend and the Pack finds out something interesting about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longest chapter so far! Yes, even longer than chapter 8.  
> I wanted to have this out yesterday, but I've just been swamped with homework lately, so I'll try to be better at updating in the future. Enjoy this one!

“Poppy, it’s almost 2:00.”

Hearing her father’s warning, Poppy ran into the living room to make sure there was enough room for everyone to sit. They had a fairly large family room, but since it was just the two of them, they only had one chair separate from the couch. Poppy made sure to put out some extra seating for the extra guests because it wasn’t just a social visit.

“I think we’re all good!” she said with a smile as she turned around and headed to the kitchen to make sure there were enough snacks.

_Knock knock_

“I’ve got it, honey!”

Poppy looked back at the tray of cupcakes she had baked earlier and was now frosting. “Thanks, Dad!” she called back.

She continued to frost. 

“Need some help?”

Poppy looked back to see Satin and Chenille. They were the first ones there. She kind of thought it would either be Smidge or Branch, since the former lived right next door and the latter was very punctual.

“Sure!” She moved off the side and gave each of them a piping bag. She had made a lot of cupcakes of all kinds, since all her friends loved them so much.

They engaged in some light conversation about school and OrionBolt, and others arrived and joined them in their decorating. 

“Wait, wait, wait,” Smidge stopped decorating for a second and put her hands up in disbelief. “He burned it? That’s what happened to your mandolin?” 

“Yep.” 

“That’s horrible!” Biggie exclaimed.

“Yeah...But-” Poppy put her index finger up. “Now whenever I want him to do something big for me, I have him at my mercy!” Everyone laughed at her slightly menacing tone. 

After a bit, they were done frosting cupcakes and went to sit in the living room. Everyone but Branch had arrived. 

Peppy was confused as to why they were just sitting around when they were all there for a school related activity. He walked into the room, carrying a bottle of pop and some cups.

“Isn’t everyone here?” he asked Poppy, putting the stuff on the coffee table.

She stood up and started to pace. “No, we’re still waiting for one more person. Our supposed _team leader,”_ she turned towards the door with an angry expression she could barely keep, “who apparently can’t even show up on time!”

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. Poppy put her smile back on and went to open it.

“Kind of expected you to be here earlier, my man,” she said when Branch stepped in.

“Yeah, well, things don’t always go as you expect,” he snapped, closing the door behind him. He slung his duffel to his other shoulder as he looked around. “Place hasn’t really changed much since the last time I was here,” he mumbled.

“Branch?”

He and Poppy turned to look at her dad, who was walking excitedly towards them.

Branch rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh, hey Paul.”

Peppy enveloped him in a hug, and while he didn’t return it, Poppy was surprised to see that he wasn’t pulling away either. He just stiffened.

“I haven’t seen you in a while, son. Not since...” he trailed off as he broke the hug. “Well, you know when.”

“Yeah. I know.”

Peppy put an arm around him as the three of them walked to the living room. Poppy could tell Branch wasn’t entirely comfortable with even the small gesture of affection. “So, how have you been, my boy?”

He subtly nodded to Poppy, indicating that he didn’t really want to talk in front of her.

“Oh. How about we go into my office and we can catch up?”

Branch nodded and turned to Poppy for a second before he went to follow Peppy. He shoved his duffel at her.

“The forms are in there,” he explained. “I want all of you to look at your notes and reflect on what you can do to improve, and I’ll be back in a bit.” He turned, but then hesitated and looked back at the room full of high schoolers. “Don’t look at _anything_ but the forms! I mean it!”

“No promises!” she sang.

After putting on some bouncy pop music, Poppy set the duffel on the table as Branch and Peppy closed the door of the latter’s office.

“When has Branch been here?” Guy asked.

Poppy sat down in front of the bag and unzipped it before turning her attention to her friend. “What do you mean?”

“He said something about your house having not changed much since the last time he was here...”

She thought for a second. “I don’t remember him ever coming over here before. But he seems to know my dad, so maybe it was sometime when I was younger?”

“You probably would have remembered that,” Bridget pointed out. “He moved here when you were 9, didn’t he?”

“And from what I know,” Creek started, “he was born and raised in Dohrn.”

“Huh.” Poppy turned to the bag and started to dig through it, looking for the forms. Everyone else looked on in silence.

All of a sudden, Poppy snickered. “Ok, you are not gonna believe this, but there’s like, a boatload of chocolate in here.” She gestured to the bag.

“Branch and chocolate?” Chenille questioned. “You’re right. I don’t believe it.”

To prove it, Poppy smiled and reached in to pull out a bunch of milk, dark, and caramel wrapped and bagged chocolate of all shapes and sizes. How any one person could have so much chocolate and still be grumpy, she would never know.

She dumped the chocolate back and fished out the forms, which were conveniently in a folder marked, ‘Sing-off’.

“Alright...” she opened it and took out the forms, noting that he had been busy with all of them. She placed Branch’s on the table, not looking at it for now.

“Who wants theirs read first?”

Everyone was silent. Branch could be brutally honest at times, and none of them really knew how to take it.

“Anyone?” She looked around at her friends before throwing her arms up. “Oh, come on, guys! You never know what he might have said! Might be something good!”

She dramatically dropped all the papers but hers on the table and cleared her throat before starting to read.

“‘Poppy has good energy and a great voice. She is good at keeping up the spirits of the team..,” She looked up and gave a smug grin, “...but has a problem with staying on task,” she said slowly, her smile disappearing. The others snickered.

“Ok, other than that, he does say nice things!” she exclaimed, ponytail bouncing as she put her head up.

“I guess I’ll go next, y’all,” DJ said, turning off her white flower headphones and bringing them down around her neck.

Poppy shuffled through the papers, smiling when she found DJ’s. “‘Has a good tone and a vast knowledge of musical terms. She proves a loyal member of the team, but I don’t see how she can hear anything with those headphones on all the time.’”

Guy quickly stood up, glittery silver jewelry jingling. “I’ll go next. Everyone get ready to hear how amazing I am!” 

Everyone laughed as Poppy got his paper. “‘Guy has a unique style of singing because of his auto tune ability. I know that he’ll bring something unique to the group, although he is a bit showy. It wouldn’t hurt him to dial it down a bit.’”

“Wow. Talk about brutally honest,” Guy mumbled, sitting back on the couch. 

“Satin next. ‘She and Chenille harmonize well while singing, but have a problem getting along when having a normal conversation.’”

“Hey!”

Poppy looked at the twins and pointed to the paper. “His words, not mine.” Looking at Chenille’s form, she said, “This says the same thing.”

“See? Why does he have to be so cruel?” Chenille said.

“He isn’t that bad,” Poppy muttered, moving on to the next form. Why couldn’t her friends-sorry, their friends-just give him a chance?

“Who’s next to be attacked?”

“Satin!”

She looked down, analyzing her nails. “It’s not like we weren’t all thinking it.”

Poppy stood up, walking to her fireplace and pulling a golden bejeweled tiara onto her head. She quickly spun around to face the group, putting up her hand in a regal manner. “I hereby decree that there will be no more negative thinking in this house!” she declared.

“Uh, I don’t think you can-“ 

“It’s my house, DJ. I can decree anything I want!” She strutted back to her seat, the tiara still sitting on her head.

The rest of the forms went about the same way. There would be a good comment about someone’s singing or dancing ability, but it would be crushed by a nasty comment about lacking confidence or being too outgoing. Soon, there was only one form left.

“And last but not least is...” Poppy drummed on the table and made some sound effects, “Creek!”

She whipped out the form, her smile wide. It faded once she quietly read it to herself.

“Is something wrong, love?”

Poppy handed him the paper, and his calm smile also faded upon reading it.

“What’d he say?” Cooper asked.

Poppy took the form back. “‘Smug and annoying. It feels as if he’s constantly trying to overshadow everyone and be the center of attention. His stupid yellow pants distract from the overall essence of the performance. Unless he does a solo act, there is almost no hope.’”

There was silence.

“Well...I’m afraid I have nothing to say about that,” Creek said.

Poppy looked around, seeing everyone but DJ, who was leaning down and staring at the paper, the side facing the floor.

“What is it, DJ?”

“There’s something written on the back.”

Confused, Poppy flipped it over and started reading. 

“‘Despite all this, I was in awe of Creek’s voice. For most people, it’s easy to imagine what their voice is like. For him, I was honestly expecting something that matched his speaking voice, but I got something completely unexpected. When doing a rock song, his voice is just raspy and loud enough to make the essence of the song believable. When doing a softer song, it was entirely different. His vocals were gentle and relaxing, and I can honestly say that I prefer his version of Can’t Fight This Feeling to REO Speedwagon’s. Creek obviously has one of the strongest voices on the team, and he should never stop singing.’”

Poppy blinked, then grinned as she jumped over and gave Creek a big hug. “Wow! I knew you had an amazing voice, but now we know that Branch loves it too!” She squealed before heading back to her seat. Everyone relaxed a bit.

“So...What do we do now?” Smidge asked now that they were done.

Guy put on a smirk. “Well...we could look at Branch’s form and see what he put for that favorite stuff.”

Poppy shrugged and picked up the paper, not really thinking about the possible circumstances. “Let’s see...favorite color...is blue.”

“Blue?” Chenille questioned. “He actually has good taste.”

“I was expecting him to like something weird and dark like black or grey,” Satin said.

Poppy shrugged again, smiling. “Guess not! Favorite music genre is...wow.” Her eyes went wide.

Smidge leaned over to look, since she was sitting next to Poppy on her left. “Pop music?” She broke down in laughter.

“Didn’t expect that,” Cooper said.

Poppy looked at the form again. “And for the final reveal, favorite song. There are three...” she did a little snort while giggling. “...and they’re all OrionBolt love songs!”

All those present broke down in laughter.

“What are they?” Guy asked when they calmed down.

“Um... ‘Something Like You,’ ‘True Colors’ cover, and ‘This I Promise You.’”

“I expected that guy to choose something boring like classical,” Cooper said.

“Apparently not!” Poppy put all the papers into a stack before leaning back and asking, “Ok, now what?”

Cloud Guy snaked his way to the other side of the table and pulled the duffel out of Poppy’s grasp. He reached in with a sly smile, never looking away from the rest of the group. “How about we see what Dumpy Diapers has in here?”

Poppy looked skeptical. “I don’t know...”

“Oh, don’t worry!” He waved it off. “I look through his stuff all the time, and we’re still buddies!”

Everyone shrugged and nodded before Cloud Guy lifted his hand and pushed the bag to Poppy. “After you.”

She reached into the bag and pulled out some chocolate, two sketch books, a journal, a book, a black pencil case, and a phone. She picked up one of the sketchbooks, spiral bind, and glanced at the cover.

“Troll Book.” She looked at Gristle and Cloud Guy, who just shrugged, looking as confused as she did. She opened to the first page.

“Troll Village is a beautiful place. This book details its inhabitants.” 

Poppy exchanged a glance with her friends, who looked really confused. She turned to the first pages, the others leaning in and looking on, and gasped at what she saw.

There was a big title on the top declaring the character on the page to be ‘Princess Poppy’. On the left were two beautifully done full color drawings of a pink-haired troll who resembled her. One had her hair free and her right foot popped in the air. The other had her hair in a top knot and her arms crossed. There was a description written underneath.

“‘Poppy is the relentlessly upbeat and optimistic Princess of the Trolls,’” she read. “‘She solves every problem with a song, a dance, and a hug.’”

They all analyzed the pictures, and Poppy was amazed at Branch’s drawing ability. She guessed you never really knew people as well as you thought you did. Her gaze turned to the page in the right, where there were two lists, but no drawings.

“‘Likes: Singing, dancing, hugging, scrapbooking, pretty much everyone and everything. Dislikes: Sadness, pessimism.’”

“This has got to be the weirdest thing I’ve seen all day,” Biggie commented. That was really saying something. Poppy had seen the assorted customers that came into his family’s bakery on a daily basis.

She turned the page. It was the same layout, but the title on this one was ‘Satin and Chenille’. The left side had a pink troll and a blue troll joined by the hair, which started as a greenish-blue at the roots before fading to pink. She read the description.

“‘Satin and Chenille, or “The Fashion Twins,” are the most fashion-forward members of the Pack, and their fashion knowledge is extensive, covering everything from haute couture runways to the latest street fashions. They’re also conjoined twins—connected in a loop by their brightly colored hair. They are instrumental in putting together all of Poppy’s various dresses and outfits.

“‘Likes: Fashion, independence. Dislikes: When their sister gets on their nerves.’”

“Well, he’s got that right,” Chenille said.

Poppy giggled. She was right. While the two of them got along for the most part, they had their moments when they would disagree about everything. There was one time the pink girl recalled when they had this big competition to settle who got to choose an ice cream flavor. One of the challenges was to see who could swing a jump rope faster, and Cooper ended up getting all tangled up in it. 

“Poppy!”

She snapped out of her thoughts to see Smidge trying to get her attention. “Hmm?”

“What were you thinking about, girl?” Satin asked.

Poppy giggled again. “Remember the ‘jump rope incident’ last Summer?”

Of course everyone did. Smidge had to yell to ask her friend to turn the page over the laughter. 

Biggie was next. A large blue troll with periwinkle hair clutching a small yellow worm, which the title declared as ‘Mr. Dinkles’. It had a great resemblance to the small cat Biggie held dear to him.

“‘Biggie is the biggest member of the Pack, with the biggest heart. Underneath his imposing exterior he's actually a huge softie, constantly bursting into tears at touching moments, or even at the sight of a particularly picturesque sunset. He carries around a pet worm named Mr. Dinkles with him everywhere he goes, and occasionally dresses Mr. Dinkles up in adorable little outfits for impromptu photo shoots.’”

On the right side, instead of likes and dislikes, there were various sketches of the worm dressed in said adorable outfits.

This was just getting too weird. 

Turning the page, they saw what looked like a blue and pink striped trollimal with a green hat on the left, the title declaring him to be Cooper. “‘Cooper is a rarity in Troll Village: a fuzzy giraffe-like Troll creature, with a goofy grin plastered permanently on his face. He’s the strangest member of the Pack, but whatever he lacks in intelligence he makes up for in enthusiasm. He’s always upbeat, has wicked harmonica skills, and crazy dance moves.’”

The right side had a small yellow troll with long blue hair tied with a pink bow. “‘Smidge is a teeny-tiny Troll with a shockingly deep baritone voice. She is incredibly disciplined when it comes to fitness and nutrition, and her hobbies include weightlifting, listening to heavy metal, and crocheting.’”

Poppy looked to her right at Smidge, who was blushing a bit. How on earth did Branch know about her crochet hobby? The two seemed to share thoughts.

“This guy is starting to creep me out.”

Poppy agreed. “Maybe we should stop...”

“No!” Guy wailed. “I want to see what he did for me!”

She rolled her eyes, smiling, before turning the page. “Oh,” she said, eyes wide, looking at Guy’s page. I turned the picture towards him.

“Hahahaha hahahaha!!” He practically broke down on the floor in laughter.

Out of concern, and just plain embarrassment for him, she read the description underneath the, um...glitter troll.

“‘Guy Diamond is one of the most popular trolls in the village. He shakes off clouds of glitter when he dances and is the living disco ball at any party. He is literally a party on two feet. He often speaks in an auto-tune voice.’”

Poppy noticed that Guy had moved behind the couch to get a closer look. He didn’t seem as...freaked out as she did, though.

“Remember earlier when I said that ‘Princess Poppy’ was the weirdest thing I’ve seen all day?” Biggie said. The way he looked, if Mr. Dinkles were with him, he would probably be clutching him for dear life. “I take it back.”

“Uhh...”

Poppy’s gaze turned to the right to see DJ pointing at the right page with a confused look. “Is that s’posed to be me?”

There was a drawing of a hot pink troll with bright orange hair and a good luck gem. “What’s the matter?” she asked. “I think you look good!”

She muttered something, then pointed and asked Poppy to read the description.

“‘DJ Suki can always be counted on to lay down some beats for an impromptu musical moment — of which there are many in Troll Village. She’s the resident mash-up expert, her playlists always being upbeat and up-tempo.’”

“Got that exactly right, dude!” she said to an imaginary Branch. Well, her demeanor changed quickly. 

The next one was another double pager. “‘King Peppy.’” Poppy analyzed the two photos of the pink haired orange troll. In one, he had a cape and his hair was up with a crown. The other was actually really accurate for her dad, with his graying frizzy hair and the green cane.

“‘A tad dottier and forgetful than he was as a young man, King Peppy brings some unintentional humor to the Trolls, but is still beloved by everyone in Troll Village, and his legacy lives on in his daughter Poppy. He NEVER leaves a troll behind.’ Yep, sounds like my dad!”

Everyone agreed, of course. Suddenly, they all heard muffled shouting coming from his office. Poppy turned around to get a better view of the door.

“What’s going on in there?” Guy said.

“Must be something big if Branch feels the need to yell at the Mayor,” Satin said.

“Yeah, that guy has got some serious anger issues,” Chenille agreed.

The yelling ceased as Poppy flipped to the next two pages. Her eyes met the gentle ones of an unfamiliar figure. She was a sweet looking purple troll with big mint green hair, a pink cardigan, and a motherly smile.

She read the title. “‘Grandma Rosiepuff.’” She looked around to see if any of her friends recognized her. They all seemed just as confused.

Except for Creek.

Creek was wearing one of those nostalgic smiles that just screamed good memories. Poppy pointed at the picture.

“Do...do you know her?”

“Of course. She was like a second mother to me.” He laughed. “Then again, I guess a second grandmother. She’s Branch’s grandma. Sweetest lady you ever did meet. She treated every child she met as her very own. I wouldn’t have minded if she were my grandmother. Always knows just the right thing to say or sing to cheer people up.”

A memory surfaced. She was 9 years old when we met.

* * *

_Poppy dragged her friends along with her as she rushed to the park near her neighborhood. Summer had just started, after all. One hand gripped Smidge’s wrist, the other Cooper’s, as she ran. The others, including her oldest friend Bridget and group newcomer Guy, trailed behind._

_“Come on, slowpokes!” she yelled back, laughing. She let go of Cooper and Smidge doing a twirl as she rounded the corner. Guy crashed into her as she suddenly stopped._

_“Whaddya see?” Cooper asked._

_Poppy was always happy. Like, always, no matter the circumstances. But in this one moment, she was smiling wider than usual as she stared at a large moving truck down the street, which was parked in front of a just sold house with a very cluttered lawn._

_“Someone’s movin’ in down the street! That means a new friend!” Poppy absolutely loved making new friends, no matter what._

_“How do you know it’s a kid?” Bridget asked, gazing at the house._

_“Could be the box marked ‘toys’,” Guy suggested._

_“Let’s go meet ‘em!” Poppy took off in the direction of the house, her friends hot on her heels._

_The 5 of them excitedly came to the lawn, attracting the attention of an elderly lady talking to one of the movers near the front porch. She walked over._

_“Hello, there! Are you kids from around here?”_

_The first thing Poppy noticed was her mint green hair and her calming voice. She also seemed to be pretty spry for an old lady._

_“Yeah!” Poppy bounced a bit, her long pink hair waving. “I’m Poppy! The Mayor’s kid!” She turned around to all her friends. “And this is Smidge, Guy, Cooper, and Bridget! They’re my friends!”_

_The lady chuckled. “Well, you can call me Ms. Hunter. Or Rosie. Whichever makes you feel more comfortable.”_

_“Do you have a kid with you?” Cooper blurted out._

_Poppy bounced again. “Yeah! We love making new friends!”_

_“Well, I think I can help you out there.” Rosie went back to the porch and leaned in the house._

_“BRANCH!”_

_Poppy let her eyes go wide. This new lady had a pretty good set of lungs too, apparently._

_“What is it, Grandma?” she heard a young male voice call out._

_“Could you come out here, please?”_

_There was silence for a little while. “I’ll be right there!”_

_Rosie chuckled and turned back to Poppy’s group. “He’s really a very delightful young man. I think you’ll like him.” She sat on the porch to meet their level. “How about you all tell me about yourselves?”_

_Poppy bounced with a little more enthusiasm. “Sure! I love singing and dancing and hugging and animals! Especially baby animals like puppies and kittens that you can cuddle to death! And I’m learning how to scrapbook and I love glitter and the color pink—well I actually love all the colors, but pink is the best!”_

_“What do you need, Grandma?”_

_They watched as a boy about 11 or 12 with blue hair came out of the house._

_Poppy ran up to him and gave him a big hug. When she pulled away, she introduced herself. “Hi! I’m Poppy! Like the flower! The one they give you in November after school starts!”_

_He seemed a little taken aback by all of Poppy’s energy. He looked up at his grandma, who nodded at him. He backed away from Poppy a little and stuck out his hand._

_“I’m Branch.”_

_She ignored his hand and hugged him again, a little too tightly. “We’re gonna be best friends!”_

_He smiled, laughed, and hugged her back._

* * *

“Yeah...I think I met her once!”

Now everyone looked confused. 

“When has Branch even hung out with you for that long?” Satin asked.

She placed the book on the table and leaned forward a little, pointing at the twins. “It was before I met you two,” She pointed at Biggie, “You were on some kind of trip to visit your sister,” then DJ, “and you were at the hospital with your brother for CJ.” She turned to the rest of the pack. “Wasn’t she that super energetic lady that was at the house when he moved in down the street?” She vaguely gestured toward the window.

Creek leaned forward, resting his elbow on his knee. “No, I would have remembered seeing her, love.”

“It was the Summer you went to Rio with your dad. Remember that?”

They all did, of course. You didn’t forget something like one of your best friends traveling out of the continent.

Poppy sat back down and smoothed out her dress before picking up the book again and turning to the next left page.

It didn’t have a description, only a picture. And it sure wasn’t a troll. The book declared it to be a ‘Bergen.’ Bridget, actually.

But why was she wearing a scullery maid outfit?

“I am never gonna understand the way Branch’s mind works,” Smidge said.

Poppy looked to Bridget to see her reaction. She looked pretty neutral about it. Once the pink girl was sure everyone had seen it, she flipped the pad.

“Oh goodness.”

They all stared at the Bergen dubbed ‘Prince Gristle.’ He had a red striped shirt that was almost exactly like the real one.

It’s not that the sketch wasn’t accurate. It was pretty spot on, actually. It was just a bit...odd.

Gristle started laughing. “That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen!”

Well, his entertainment masked the unease of the rest of them, that was for sure. I guess Smidge’s eyes hurt from looking at it, because she quickly made Poppy go to the next page.

King Gristle Sr. was next. At least his clothes fit better than his son’s.

But—the next one had to be the weirdest of all.

A cloud man, wearing socks, but no shoes. Obviously Cloud Guy.

What went on Branch’s weird little head?

Everyone else was pretty weirded out too. Who would even think of doing something like that?

Last but not least, on the next page, was what looked like his newest addition. He drew Creek as a purple troll with long, blue-green hair. In Poppy’s opinion, he was just as handsome as the real one. The others seemed to think so, too. This one even had a description!

“‘Creek is the most positive, supportive, reassuring Troll in all of Troll Village, approaching everything with Zen like wisdom. He’s calm, collected and capable.’”

It wasn’t not her fault she let out what Branch would call, ‘a very unladylike squeal.’

...Ok, maybe it was her fault.

“Is that it?” Cooper asked, leaning over to get a better look.

She flipped through to make sure they had gotten everything. There was one drawing on the second to last page, last sheet.

“‘Branch - The Reality.’”

They looked at the picture of the grumpy troll. Blue eyes, night black hair, big nose, and pointed big ears. He wore a green leaf vest and very clumsily patched brown shorts. But the most noticeable thing was his very dull, very uncolorful, grey skin.

“‘Branch is the over-cautious paranoid survivalist in Troll Village. The only Troll in the village who doesn't sing, dance or hug, Branch lives a disgruntled existence, constantly trying to prepare for the worst. He's constantly flummoxed by the over-the-top positivity of the other Trolls. He is always prepared, overly cautious, determined, and on the lookout for danger. He is NOT a fan of hug time.’”

Poppy put her free hand to her heart. Did he really feel like that? “Poor Branch,” she said quietly, still looking at the picture. When she looked up, those sitting across from her looked horrified.

“What’s wrong?” She started getting worried.

Cloud Guy pointed behind her, and she turned her head to see someone standing there.

Branch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of the Troll descriptions belong to Dreamworks Animation, and are from their website. I take NO credit for those. Repeat, they belong to Dreamworks.  
> The songs mentioned are 'That Girl' by Justin Timberlake, 'True Colors' by Cindi Lauper, and 'This I Promise You' by *NSYNC.
> 
> I probably won't be updating this for another little while, just because I've decided to write 2 Christmas fics this year. Yep, you saw that right. TWO. I'm trying to get them written before it actually comes around, so that's why you probably won't get another update until after Christmas. But you know, the season is coming up, so you can't really blame me. There are LOTS of good holiday Trolls fics here, so go check those out in the meantime! There's also a really good one I would like to recommend. It's called "Branch's Gift," and it's over on Fanfiction.net. Amazing story, go read it if you're in the mood.
> 
> On a side note, I'm assuming that if you like Trolls, you probably like music. If you have the time, go look up Marc Martel. I recently found out he's a soundalike singer to Freddie Mercury. Crazy, right?
> 
> Don't forget, song suggestions are always welcome!


	11. Godfather Talks and An Insane Amount of Locks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been two weeks since the last update! Thanks for sticking with me even though it's been a while with the holiday season and all. This chapter went though A LOT of changes, mostly since I wrote it last July/August and edited it this past week. Hope you enjoy!

Branch hadn’t seen Paul for years.

After giving Poppy his bag, he followed the Mayor to his office. He was really hoping and praying that Poppy wasn’t going to go through that bag like he told her, but knowing everyone in that room...

Yup, he was doomed.

As he closed the door behind him, Paul asked the inevitable question.

“So...I haven’t heard from you in a while, my boy. How are you?”

“How do you think I am?” Branch shot back, still staring at the door.

It was quiet for a while, so the grumpy boy turned around, just to see him looking through the small closet on the opposite wall.

“Paul?”

“Now Branch, I’ve told you time and time again to call me Peppy,” he said with a hint of playfulness in his voice.

“Alright...Peppy.”

He lit up as he brought out a box and placed it on his desk, motioning for Branch to come forward.

“I have some of Rosiepuff’s things here. I don’t know if you remember, but in the will, you were supposed to get these things when you turned 18. I didn’t have your number, so...”

Branch was honestly surprised. He _had_ forgotten about it. He didn’t even know what was in it.

“Are you going to open it?”

He looked at the box and shook his head. “Brings back bad memories. Maybe later.”

Peppy nodded in understanding. “Alright.” He moved the box by the door before sitting behind the desk, motioning for Branch to sit as well.

“So, you never answered my question.”

What question was that again? “Hmm?”

Peppy waved his hand. “How have you been since the funeral? I know there was a lot of shuffle with the foster homes you went through for the first year or so, but did you end up staying with that nice couple? Um...Ron and Beatrice? You know, he was a clown?”

Right...that didn’t go well. Ron passed away from a heart attack, and Branch got kicked out of the service for getting so upset about the memories of...lots of stuff, that he almost flipped over the casket. He went back to the orphanage after that, not that he was going to tell the Mayor about that whole episode.

“No, I didn’t. I was at the orphanage for a while, but I moved into an apartment when I turned 17.”

“Oh.”

He stared at the desk in silence as Peppy did some paperwork.

“I missed you, you know.”

Branch’s head slowly raised as his blue eyes made contact with warm brown ones. He recalled Poppy having those eyes before she apparently started using pink contacts.

“Sure, you were kind of grumpy after Rosiepuff, but I...I always knew you were a good kid.” He put his pencil on the desk and looked down. “Poppy didn’t really remember you after you moved to Dohrn, her being so young and all, but I always hoped you would come back. Your grandma would write every week to let me know how you were. I’m not sure if you remember that I would even call every once in a while, and we would chat for a bit...”

Branch kept his gaze on him as he listened to the Mayor talk. Poppy would do the same thing sometimes and go off on a tangent like that. Now he knew where she got it from.

“I’m really sorry I haven’t been checking in on you all these years,” he said. “Guess I haven’t been a very good godfather.”

He went back to paperwork, his pen dancing across the sheets.

“No,” Branch said after a minute.

Peppy raised his head. “What was that, my boy?”

“I said no. I’m the one that should be apologizing, not you.” He looked around the room, trying to focus on anything but him. Now it was his turn to go off on a tangent.

“You only ever tried to help. I was always being a little jerk, pushing everyone away when I needed you the most. You were really the only one that ever tried to help, to be honest. After Grandma died, you and Poppy were the only ones that cared. You two are like... angels in disguise, who never want anything more than to make sure we all have peace on earth.”

He stared at Branch for a second, lips tugging into a small smile. “Still have that poetic head, I see.”

The boy gaped at him, eyebrows raised. “Is that all you got out of that?”

He shrugged. “I’m old. I can hear whatever I want.”

Branch scoffed at that. “You’re not _that_ old. What are you, 55 or something?”

“56.”

To be honest, Branch always recalled him being about the same age as his dad. He was pretty sure the Mayor once mentioned something about the two of them being best friends growing up. 

“Besides...” he opened a drawer and pulled out a small crown made of sticks and painted gold, placing it in his head. “I’m the Mayor. I can _do_ whatever I want,” he said with a smug grin.

Branch looked at the crown and frowned. “You still have that stupid thing?” He had made him and Poppy a matching crown-tiara set made of nature when he was 5. Not really his best idea.

“As I recall, you were very proud of this when you gave it to me.”

Branch frowned. “That was 13 years ago. A lot has changed since then.” He looked down, feeling tears start to well up. He quickly swallowed them.

“And they haven’t all been good changes.”

He could feel Peppy’s eyes on him, so he risked looking up. Peppy stared at him, silently asking if he would elaborate. 

He sighed. “I live in Bergenville, I have a crummy job, and my bike was stolen.”

Peppy put his hand up to his chin. “Hmm, that is quite the dilemma. What if—“

“No.” Branch cut him off, knowing what he was going to say. “I don’t want or need any pity or help. I can deal with it on my own.”

“Does Poppy—“

“Why would I tell Poppy!?” he yelled. “Have you not met your own daughter? She blows everything out of proportion so much, I cannot believe that she hasn’t figured out yet that the world is more than cruel! She just always tries to look at the ‘bright side’ of every occasion, even when there isn’t one!”

Peppy was silent for a second before speaking again, his tone calm and just a little playful.

“Are you in love with her, boy?”

“What!?” he sputtered. He had literally just seen the guy for the first time in 6 years about 20 minutes before. How could he have known?

He chuckled. “I don’t know if you remember, but my Crystal and your mother Jessica were the same as Poppy. Always smiling and trying to see the bright side in everything. Before we got together...have I told you this story?”

“No, sir.” Ok, Branch kind of felt bad for that outburst, so he figured that addressing him as so would make up for it. Apparently he was wrong.

“Now, none of that ‘sir’ stuff, you hear?”

“Yes, s—Peppy.”

“Alright.” He quickly put his papers away, and Branch gave him his attention. It wasn’t like he had any other choice. It was either him or Poppy and her annoying friends. Easy decision. Mostly.

“Randy—your father—and I had gone to that cafe down the street with the karaoke bar. I think you know the one. It’s, uh...Bibbly’s! Used to sell baby supplies. Haven’t for about 30 years or so, but it’s still there. Under new management recently, I think. All the employees—“

“Peppy!” Branch cut in. “Is this going anywhere? I kind of have to get back to our meeting. I came here for a reason, you know.”

“Oh! Yes. I’m sorry, Branch. Guess this runs in my family, I’m afraid.”

“You got that right,” he mumbled low enough for him not to hear.

“What was that, my boy?”

Branch’s head shot up. “Nothing.”

At least he pretended to buy it, even if he did a horrible job at it.

“Well, anyways, the two of us met Crystal and Jessica when they were at the karaoke bar. They had the most beautiful voices anyone could have. That’s where you and Poppy got your talent from. I have a terrible voice, and your father couldn’t sing a lick.”

What? That was news to him “Grandma always told me that he would serenade my mom before he died.”

“Well, eventually he ended up taking voice lessons. The point is, he was... always...” His voice dwindled, and a small frown came to his face. “What did you just say?”

Branch repeated his words while Peppy watched and listened, his face gradually falling farther than an anvil in the Grand Canyon. Branch, although he hadn’t actually talked to the Mayor in several years, had definitely seen the guy around, and had never seen him looking as conflicted as he did in that one moment. His mouth opened and closed, and it was obvious he was trying to find the right way to say something. Finally, he just sighed and looked Branch in the eyes, a serious expression on his face. “Listen, son…”

Mayor Peppy was only of the happiest men in town, so it stood to reason that when he wasn’t smiling, Branch got worried. Peppy had never really steered him wrong before, though, so he listened carefully to whatever the Mayor had to say as he continued. “Rosiepuff and I were going to tell you when you were old enough. Your father isn’t dead.”

For the first time in six and a half years, Branch had a little, tiny sliver of hope. Then Peppy spoke again, crushing it. “When you were just six months old, right at Christmas Eve, he left. Went out for some Chinese food for all of us and never came back. We found a note from him in one of the presents the next day, explaining that he felt like he had rushed into a family, and went to try and find out who he actually was. Everyone was devastated. That day, your mother lost a husband, your grandma lost a son, and I lost a best friend. That’s what it felt like to all of us.”

Branch was silent, looking at the desk. He wasn’t the type of person to let information like that go, but he tucked it to the back of his mind. He would obsess about it later, when he was alone. “What was it you were saying earlier?” In that moment, he just wanted to get on with everything else, including his godfather’s unfinished speech.

Peppy was surprised Branch was taking the news so well, but continued his earlier thoughts anyways with a sad smile. “Your father was always annoyed by Jessica’s happy attitude, but it turned out to be a mask for his feelings for her. I figure, it might run in the family?” he asked, raising his eyebrows at Branch.

The boy sighed, upset about both his father and the fact that Peppy was able to see through his mask. “It might.”

Peppy smiled all the way and patted him on the back as he made his way to the door. “Good! I was hoping for that.”

“Wha—“ Branch was confused about two things. First, about how Peppy was able to move on so quickly from the conversation they just had moments earlier. Second, what on earth was he talking about?

The Mayor stopped at the door and turned around, smirking. “When your mother passed away, I wanted to adopt you myself. But you were just the most stubborn kid ever, and you kept insisting that if I adopted you, then you wouldn’t be able to marry Poppy when you got older!”

Stuttering. That’s how Branch would have described it. Lots of stuttering. And judging by the look on Peppy’s face, and the rising heat in his cheeks and ears, Peppy was completely right. He opened the door for Branch to head back to the group.

“Good talk,” he heard the Mayor say as he walked past.

That man was almost as infuriating as his daughter.

* * *

The first thing Branch noticed as he walked around the wall separating the dining area from the living room was the fact that everyone was huddled around Poppy, who was looking down and talking. 

The second thing, as he got closer, was that everything from his duffel was spread out on the table, and Poppy had his sketchbook.

The third thing, the most infuriating of all, was that nobody was stopping her.

She didn’t immediately notice when he came up behind her and the curved sofa. Cirrus and Gristle did, though. So did most of the ‘pack.’ Judging by that rare terrified look on the former’s face, he probably looked seething mad.

That was good. That’s what he was going for. 

It didn’t take long for Poppy to notice something was off. She slowly turned and saw him standing there. And boy, was he mad.

“Oh, uh, hi Branch!” she said with a nervous smile. Now everyone had noticed him.

“Do you not listen at all!?” he yelled. “I believe that before I left, I gave you specific instructions to NOT look through my bag!”

“Well...”

He threw his arms up and made his way around the couch and into the room. “Well nothing!”

As he gathered his things into the bag, he glared at Cirrus. “I know this was your idea, so I’ll deal with you later.”

Branch turned to Poppy, who was still holding the sketchbook. His sketchbook. “Hand it over.”

She did as he asked. “How did you even come up with that?”

“With what?”

“The Trolls!”

He groaned. “If you must know, I collect Scandinavian Troll dolls.”

Poppy blinked. “Really?”

“What else am I supposed to do in my spare time?” He really didn’t expect her to answer it. He forgot it was Poppy and her crew.

“Well, there are a lot of things! You could go bowling, mini-golfing, there are a few movie theaters around—“

She was cut off by Branch’s scoff. “It was a rhetorical question, Poppy.”

“Oh.”

After getting the bag away from them, he came over and sat on the floor. “Did you at least look at your forms?” he asked exasperated.

“Yep!”

“Did you learn anything from them?”

“Yep!”

He stared at her for a second as she smiled before moving his hands along. “And...what did you learn?”

“We learned that you’re too brutally honest,” Satin whispered to her sister, too quiet for anyone else to hear. Branch had really sensitive hearing, though, and shot them a glare. They both tensed up.

“Based on the _helpful truth_ on the forms, what do you all think you could all improve on?”

“Ooh!” Poppy raised her hand enthusiastically.

He put his head down, hand going up to the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “You don’t need to raise your hand, Poppy.”

“Ok. What _I_ noticed was that everyone has something to improve in different areas, whether it be confidence, talent, or even just a general thing.” 

He nodded, unexpectedly impressed. “Good. I’m going to leave you all to deal with your own issues, and we need to figure out what song you guys are going to do for the competition in a few weeks.”

Poppy shot up. “Aren’t you going to perform with us?”

He gave a dry laugh. “Yeah. That’s not happening.” He stood up, wanting to end the conversation. “Now...what I was thinking—“

“Why not?”

Branch sighed. “Does it really matter?”

Poppy looked like she was offended. She probably wasn’t, but he wasn’t going to say anything. “Of course it does! If you have a bad voice, we want the opportunity to help you!” She turned to her friends. “Right gang?”

They all started talking excitedly about helping Branch with his supposedly bad voice. He just stood there, wondering what Poppy had gotten him into, until she clapped her hands together and spoke.

“So, Branch! My man! We need to evaluate your skill level!”

“My...skill level?”

“Yeah! We need to see how bad you are at singing so we know how much time we have to give you lessons so you can join us!”

“I don’t need voice lessons!” he said, volume rising.

“Prove it.” He looked to Smidge, who was smirking and crossing her arms.

“Excuse me?”

She and Poppy started to chant. “Prove it. Prove it!” The rest of the official pack joined in. “Prove it. Prove it. Prove it!”

“No! I already told you, I don’t sing in front of people!”

Poppy groaned. “Why not?”

“That’s classified.” He finally made eye contact with her, but his eyes slowly noticed the tiara she was wearing. He didn’t notice it before, which was odd, since he was normally very observant. Poppy looked just like he portrayed her in the book: like a Princess. He had no control over the next words that came out of his mouth.

“Do you know where you got that?”

Her hands went up and removed the tiara, holding it slightly out. “You mean this? A kid my dad used to know apparently made it for me when I was 2. Never met him, though. Dad has a matching one!”

She gazed at the accessory for a second before looking back at Branch. “Now...sing for us!”

He threw his arms up and began pacing, speaking rapidly.

"¡Increíble!* No puede salirse del tema, ¡no importa cuál sea!* Si el alcalde estuviera aquí, ¡seguro que haría lo mismo!* ¡Es como si toda la familia me la tuviera jurada! ¡Eso no se le hace a alguien que conoces desde hace 18 años!"

He stopped for a second, still looking annoyed, before speaking a little more slowly.

"Por otro lado, ¡no recuerda siquiera* que vivía aquí! ¡Peppy no se lo dijo! No es como si tuviera alguna razón para decírselo. Llevo sin verlo desde hace cinco años y medio!"

Turning to the others, Branch noticed they all looked very surprised. Most of them were probably in awe, but he forgot Cirrus could understand him. Luckily for both of them, his self proclaimed best friend didn’t say anything.

“Ok, I’ve been wanting to ask you this for a while buddy,” Poppy spoke up. “Where and when did you learn Spanish?”

Branch blinked and stared at her again, surprised she would even _care._ Then again, it was Poppy. She cared about everything, even if she shouldn’t have. That was one of the reasons he had fallen in love with her. He felt his face filling with heat as they locked eyes, and looked away before somebody noticed. But as he turned his head, he almost thought he saw a faint hint of color on her cheeks, too.

He ignored Poppy’s previous question about Spanish, knowing he would be a little more composed if they were on topic. “I-it doesn’t matter. What _does_ matter is picking a song for this competition!” He clapped his hands in an attempt to get things moving.

Overall, they surprisingly stayed on topic. Apparently, if you were talking about music, they were all ears and never got distracted. After a while, they had narrowed it down to three songs.

“Alright...we need to take a vote,” Branch announced. “All in favor of Party in the USA?”

Only Cloud Guy and DJ raised their hands.

“September?”

Cooper and Smidge gave each other a fist bump before putting their hands in the air.

“Can’t Stop the Feeling?”

Everyone else’s hands shot up, and the grumpy man sighed.

“Looks like you’re doing Can’t Stop the Feeling.”

They all cheered, including the ones who didn’t vote for the OrionBolt song.

He hoped more than anything that they wouldn’t try to get him to sing this song of all songs.

_I got that sunshine in my pocket, got that good soul in my feet!_

Branch quickly looked around before diving into his duffel. That was his phone.

“Talk about good timing!” Poppy exclaimed.

He scowled at her before accepting the call.

“Hello?”

_“Hey Branch, it’s Ron O’Dean.”_

He ignored the fact that he was somehow on speakerphone to focus on the fact that his landlord was the one calling him. He only ever did that if there was an emergency.

“Yeah?”

_“Are ya in the middle of some thin’, my boy? We have a situation at the building.”_

Branch started to inwardly panic. “What’s wrong?”

_“Well, seems like while I was out earlier, Thomson from 4b was doin’ a bit o’ looting, an’ I need everyone to check an’ make sure nothin’s missing from your rooms.”_

Branch laughed. Not an actual happy laugh, but one that rang with triumph. “First of all, I don’t have anything in there that’s even worth being stolen. Second, I have 8 locks on my door. Nobody’s getting in there.”

There was a pause at the other end of the line. _“Well...ok. I would still recommend checking when ya get back.”_

“Alright. I’ll be there in 15 minutes.” He hung up the phone and dropped it in his bag before turning to Poppy.

“As much as I absolutely _love_ hanging out with all of you, I have go, so we’ll pick this up Tuesday after school.”

“What’s wrong with tomorrow?” Chenille asked.

Branch facepalmed. “Look at your phones.” He didn’t know how they could have forgotten about the holiday.

“Ohhhhh.......”

“ _Yeah..._ ” he half heartedly mocked as he and some of the others started for the door. He was stopped by a familiar head of orange hair, though.

“Branch, do you want to take the box now?” Peppy asked.

“No, that’s okay. I can come by later and get it when I have something to haul it with.”

Peppy nodded, and Poppy watched as Branch opened the front door, pausing for a second to look at her father. “Thanks… for the truth.”

Peppy nodded with a smile, and Poppy, who was honestly very confused, watched Branch go out the door and start down the street before she turned to her father.

“Dad, explanation.”

Peppy laughed out loud as he led Poppy back to the living room. “What? Am I not just allowed to spend some quality time with my godson?”

“Godson!?” Poppy and her friends breathed in surprise.

“Of course!”

“How long have you _known_ him?” Poppy asked as the two sat.

“Let me see...” the Mayor fiddled with his thick mustache for a second as he thought. “I guess his whole life! Plus about 10 months beforehand. You were still very young when he moved away, so that’s probably why you didn’t remember him when he came back.”

“Huh.”

“Well!” Poppy helped him to stand, and he began to head to his office. “You all can stay as long as you want, we’ve got nothing planned.”

“Thanks, Dad!”

“So...” she said, spinning around to face the pack. “What are we doing tomorrow?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to Geekgirles for helping me with the Spanish translations! Go read their stories!
> 
> The songs mentioned in here were 'Party in the USA' by Miley Cyrus, 'September' by Earth, Wind, & Fire, and 'Can't Stop the Feeling' by JT (You should know who that is by now).
> 
> I added a whole scene (well, actually two) and deleted a whole scene while editing this. I'm still also working on those last two chapters for my holiday fic, and I have a Broppy one-shot for New Years in progress I'm hoping to finish by next week.  
> Also... After this, there are only two more chapters until the end of part 1 of this story! Yep, it's in two batches. Not two separate fics, but the plot moves along a little faster starting in chapter 14 (which has actually yet to be written). For those of you who write, you know when there's just a bunch of ideas swimming in your head? You're probably going to get A LOT of Broppy from me in 2021.
> 
> On a completely unrelated note... what'd y'all get/give for Christmas? Or if you don't celebrate that, how's the end of 2020 treating you? May the rest of the year be filled with lots of Broppy, right?


	12. A Wooden Spoon and a Hidden Crush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've reached 1000 hits! Thank you to all you amazing readers for sticking with this!
> 
> The song in here is the Glee Cast version of 'The Longest Time' by Billy Joel.

“Have you people even gotten started?”

A tall woman whose demeanor screamed authority came out of the shadows and approached the many students relaxing on stage.

“We must be able to beat Trollston High at the competition!”

A tall student stood up from his place in a chair and came to the edge. “Relax, Chef Meyers. We’ve got this in the bag.”

“You had better, Brian.” She looked around at the others, who were really doing nothing. “I specifically picked the 7 of you because I thought you could take this seriously. I suppose I was wrong.”

“No!” Another student, wearing a purple button up jacket and gloves, piped up. “Let us show you what we’ve got!”

Chef sighed and sat. “Ok, Peter. This had better be good.”

Brian turned to the others. “Eddie, Ray, Chelsea, Adam! Kaboom!”

“My name’s not Kaboom,” the Freshman grumbled.

“Bash, maybe you should ease up on your brother,” Eddie said.

Bash thought for a second. “Nah.”

Chef watched the exchange. As much as she didn’t want to be coaching incompetent students such as these in something so insignificant as a high school sing off, it’s not like she had much choice. Ever since she had involuntarily given up her status as Chef Beverly Meyers of ‘Cooking With Bev’ and taken a job as the principal of P.C. Charter, all she wanted was a position of power. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to take some control over the youths of the city, especially since the Mayor’s daughter attended Trollston High.

“Is everyone ready?” Bash yelled.

A larger student, Ray, gave a thumbs up.

The 7 of them began to snap their fingers. Bash was singing the main vocal, Ray was on bass, and everyone else was harmonizing.

_ Oh, oh, oh _

_ For the longest time _

_ Oh, oh, oh _

_ For the longest _

Bash took over the lead as the others backed him up.

_ If you said goodbye to me tonight _

_ There would still be music left to write _

Now, Chelsea stepped up and took over from Bash.

_ What else could I do _

_ I'm so inspired by you _

_ That hasn't happened for the longest time _

Bash started singing again.

_ Once I thought my innocence was gone _

_ Now I know that happiness goes on _

Chelsea started to sing.

_ I'll take my chances _

_ I forgot how nice romance is _

The two of them sang the lead vocals together as everyone stepped forward.

_ I haven't been there for the longest time _

Everyone started harmonizing again as they shifted positions around the stage.

_ Oh, oh, oh _

_ For the longest time _

_ Oh, oh, oh _

_ For the longest _

They made room for Eddie to come to the front, and he took over the lead.

_ I'm that voice you're hearing in the hall _

_ And the greatest miracle of all _

Chelsea came to stand next to him, he became silent as she sang.

_ Is how I need you _

_ And how you needed me too _

Everyone sang the next part of the song as they shifted again, backing off a bit.

_ That hasn't happened for the longest time _

They gave Eddie the spotlight as he sang the bridge.

_ Maybe this won't last very long _

_ But you feel so right _

_ And I could be wrong _

_ Maybe I've been hoping too hard _

_ But I've gone this far _

_ And it's more than I hoped for _

Adam and Chelsea came to the front as Eddie joined the others. They both sang their respective parts.

_ Who knows how much further we'll go on _

_ Maybe I'll be sorry when you're gone _

_ I'll take my chances _

_ I forgot how nice romance is _

_ I haven't been there for the longest time _

Eddie came up again to sing.

_ I had second thoughts at the start _

_ I said to myself _

_ Hold on to your heart _

_ Now I know the woman that you are _

_ You're wonderful so far _

_ And it's more than I hoped for _

The others backed off to let Bash take the lead again.

_ I don't care what consequence it brings _

_ I have been a fool for lesser things _

Bash and Chelsea began to sing a duet for the second to last part of the song.

_ I want you so bad _

_ I think you ought to know that _

_ I intend to hold you for the longest time _

Everyone jumped forward and started to snap and sing all together for the last chorus.

_ Oh, oh, oh _

_ For the longest time _

_ Oh, oh, oh _

_ For the longest time _

_ Oh, oh, oh _

_ For the longest time _

_ Oh, oh, oh _

_ For the longest time... _

Chef stayed sitting and didn’t say anything for a long time as the team sat on the stage. The performance was good, but not nearly good enough for the level she knew Trollston was going to bring.

“It was impressive,” she said finally, and they cheered. “But! It could be more impressive.”

“Just tell us what to do,” Bash said.

She came to the stage, taking a wooden spoon out of her pocket. Not only did the utensil serve as a pleasant reminder of her old life, it also worked well as a pointing stick. She aimed it at the smallest of the students.

“Arnold Pastry...”

He gulped and stepped forward. 

“You didn’t seem to be particularly excited about that performance.” That wouldn’t do. Everyone needed to give it their all if she —sorry, they— wanted to be victorious.

“Well...”

She raised her spoon. “I don’t want to hear any excuses.” As much as she was sure he had some kind of half baked reason, she didn’t really care. 

She looked at Bash. “Have you thought about adding choreography? I lost interest after the first verse.”

“We can do that.” He turned to his crew. “Right guys?”

They shouted out some replies of confirmation.

“Good.” Chef stepped onto the stage and confronted Bash. She seemed to tower over him due to her height. “And you were able to find some material on that Creek boy?”

“Sure was,” he said with confidence. “If we need him, we’ll be able to ‘convince’ him to join us instead of those trolls.”

She nodded and went to leave the room. If there was anyone that would be able to help them win, it was Creek Edwards. She tried to get that niece of hers to help since she had insisted on attending Trollston to be with her  _ precious friends _ , but she wanted to stay loyal to  _ them _ . 

That was fine. Chef had that other, better plan anyways.

  
  


* * *

“I’m so glad they’re open today!”

DJ looked at Satin. “Aren’t they always open on holidays?”

“Yeah, I think they are,” Biggie chimed in, looking at the front of the cafe where them and their friends often came. It was just him, Satin, DJ, and Cooper today since the others were busy, but they always took every opportunity to hang out.

They opened up the door and walked in. Light oldies music was playing over the speakers, and it was unusually empty and quiet. There were several booths along the walls, but only one was in use by a single person with their back to the group. There was also a couple sitting at one of the normal tables in the middle of the floor. 

“Why do you think it’s so quiet in here?” Cooper said in his usual loud voice.

“Let’s ask Dave.” Biggie gestured to the red headed man behind the counter who appeared to be doing a crossword puzzle.

The others nodded and walked up to the counter.

“Hi, Dave!” Cooper said.

Dave looked up from his crossword. “Oh, hey guys! How are you?”

“Fine, thanks. First of all, good song choice,” DJ said referring to American Pie, which was playing over the speakers. “Second, why’s it so quiet in here?”

“Yes,” Biggie agreed. “Usually the music is louder and a few of our friends from the kitchen are out here chatting.”

“Right,” he said quietly. “I have a guy that comes in every year today, an old friend of the family. He likes it a little quieter in here while he’s in. But you know, he’s a valued customer, so he gives us his service and we give him the solitude.” He gestured to the mostly empty restaurant.

“Who is he?” Satin asked.

Dave gestured to the booth behind them. “He’s sitting right over there.”

The four of them turned to look. The familiar grey and black clothing. His face wasn’t set in a scowl, or any kind of frown, though. He just looked...emotionless. With an empty look, staring at the chocolate milkshake in front of him.

Dave must have noticed the slack in their jaws. “You know him?”

Satin nodded and started for the booth. The others said goodbye to the cashier and followed.

“Hello, Branch,” Biggie said. The grump looked up at him, then turned his gaze to the others, before going back to staring at the table.

“Would you mind if we joined you?”

Branch vaguely gestured to the rest of the empty booth. Cooper, Biggie, and Satin slid into the other side, and DJ sat next to Branch.

“So...what brings you here today?” Biggie asked.

Branch quickly drank some of the chocolate beverage, still looking at the table. “I always come here on the 18th.”

Biggie exchanged a glance with the others. “May I ask why that is?”

He finally looked up, the emotionless expression and apparent lack of sleep clear on his face. “May I ask why you’re asking so many questions?”

“Just making conversation.”

He nodded. “It’s my grandma’s birthday today. What are  _ you  _ all doing here?”

DJ shrugged. “We come here with the rest of the pack sometimes just to hang out and talk.”

Branch looked around the cafe, wordlessly asking where the others were.

“They’re all busy today,” Biggie answered. “Poppy and Creek are with Mayor Peppy getting a cake for her birthday next week.”

“Chen is downtown visiting a friend,” Satin said.

“And then Smidge and Guy are out gift shopping for Poppy’s party,” DJ added.

“So...why are you here instead of with yo Grandma?” Cooper asked.

“I visited her earlier. Spent some time talking to her, then came here.”

“Really?” Cooper said a bit too loudly. “Cause it looks more like you’re sulking or something!”

“Family problems. I wouldn’t expect  _ you  _ of all people to understand.”

Cooper looked down a bit. “No, I do.”

Now Branch was confused. “What?” he said, looking up.

The others looked at Cooper sympathetically, knowing what he was going to say. 

“Last week, my family had a big get together. My uncle is a professional dancer, and wanted to give us a performance. He broke his neck tap dancing, and has been in the hospital ever since. The doctors say he may never walk again. Auntie has been worried sick ever since.”

Branch was surprised to see the sadness on Cooper’s face as he spoke. He knew he should say something positive, but...he just wasn’t that type of guy. Instead, he looked back at his drink and lightly hummed.

“That sucks, man.”

Cooper smiled again and shrugged. “Yeah, it does. But talking ‘bout it helps!”

Biggie thought for a second. “You know, Branch, maybe if you talked to some of us, we could help you cheer up a bit! It wouldn’t take that long!”

Branch scoffed. “You sound like my therapist.” The words were out of his mouth before he realized it. At least it was Biggie, Satin, and DJ. He considered them some of the more mature of the group. And he was pretty sure Cooper wouldn’t say anything, as much as he loved talking about anything and everything. But just in case, he would try talking to him later.

“Your...therapist?” DJ whispered next to him. 

He hummed again and drank his milkshake with a frown. “I told you—personal problems.”

DJ leaned on the table. “Yep. We all know what that’s like.”

“Hm?” That was news to him. This was the happiest, most upbeat group in possibly the entire town. He didn’t expect them to ever have anything wrong.

“I said that we’ve all had problems at some point.”

Branch gave a dry laugh like that was the most obvious thing ever. “You think I don’t know that? It’s like I told Poppy. Life isn’t all ‘cupcakes and rainbows.’”

“Try getting  _ her  _ to believe that,” Satin said.

“Yeah! As much as we love Poppy,” DJ started, “she can be a bit much sometimes.”

Branch looked up with wide eyes. He knew that Poppy was annoying. That was a fact. He didn’t know that her own friends could find her annoying.

“This might seem stupid,” Branch started. The others gave him their full attention. He was finally opening up a bit, and they wanted to hear it.

“...but I find it annoying that she wears those pink contacts all the time, not because she needs them, but just because she likes pink.”

They blinked, staring. Branch noticed just as he was about to take another sip of his drink.

“What?”

“I thought her eyes were naturally pink!” Cooper blurted out. 

Biggie was the next to speak. “No offense, Branch, but I think we know Poppy a little better than you. I have to agree with Cooper on this one.” DJ and Satin exchanged a look before nodded.

The grump sighed. “It’s rare, but possible for someone to have pink eyes. Poppy is not one of those people. Her eyes are brown. Like Peppy’s. Here, wait a second.”

He twisted and fished his wallet out of his pocket before opening it and taking out a picture. He was probably going to regret this later, but he passed it across the table.

Biggie took the photo. Cooper and Satin leaned over while DJ slid out and jumped into the empty booth behind them to get a better view.

The picture was small and visibly old, but overall in good condition. It was zoomed in on a boy of about 5, who the widest smile they had ever seen, holding a smaller child who looked to be about 2. The boy had electric blue eyes and unusually thick black hair, while the other kid, a girl, had warm brown eyes and thin blond hair.

“Is that Poppy?” Cooper asked, referring to the small toddler. Branch nodded.

“Who’s the other kid?” DJ asked.

Branch gave them a lame look when they peered at him for an answer. “You really think I’m gonna answer that?” 

That was the clincher. They knew who it was as soon as he said that. Mayor Peppy had of course told them the previous day, but they never expected Branch to admit it.

Branch himself never expected to admit it, but the lack of sleep was making it hard to keep up his walls.

The 4 of them looked at him, jaws slacked, before Biggie gave back the picture in silence. Cooper broke it, of course.

“I’m confused again.”

Branch sighed. Normally he didn’t mind the tall boy’s slight lack of intelligence, but it was kind of starting to bother him. 

“Why are you confused?” he asked with an eye roll.

Cooper pointed to the picture. “You’re smiling!”

Branch snatched the picture back with a scowl, very contradictory to the photo. “So?”

“Why don’t you ever smile now?” DJ pushed. “I mean, I would think you would be happy when listening to one of those love songs OrionBolt does.”

Branch’s eyes narrowed. How did she know that? “What proof do you have that I would?”

“We might have looked at your sing-off form,” Satin said.

They all became suddenly interested in the table, walls, and ceiling. They were looking anywhere to avoid the deadly glare Branch shot them. 

The glare in question, although pretty good in getting his point across, wasn’t one of his best if he had to rate it. He blamed lack of sleep again. “What else exactly did you see on that form or in the bag?”

“Well...”

All of a sudden, he shot up the rest of the way and looked at them in partial horror.

“ _ You didn’t read the journal, did you? _ ” he asked, voice wavering a bit.

“No.”

Branch slumped back in the booth and closed his eyes.

.

.

.

“Branch?”

He opened one eye. 

“You sure you’re alright?”

Branch jumped hearing and seeing DJ next to him again.

“Fine. And you didn’t answer my question.”

“Yes, well...” Biggie looked to the others. Everyone looked at Satin after a while.

“Me? I have to do it? Why me? He hates me more than the rest of you!”

Branch made his presence known again by slamming a hand on the table. “Sitting right here, guys. And I never said I hated any of you, so I don’t know why you said that.”

“Wait...” DJ put her hands up. “You  _ don’t  _ hate us?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever said that in the time I’ve known you all,” he said. Who would have put that idea into their heads? Sure, the pack got on his nerves literally all the time, but observing them from a distance all those years, he could tell they were very loyal and optimistic, and they obviously cared about everyone.

“Branch!”

He came out of his thoughts and jumped into a defensive position like he did every time he was caught off guard Like that. Well, the best defensive position he could muster while sitting.

“Dude, you spaced out for a second there,” DJ said.

He cleared his throat. “Oh, uh, sorry. What were you saying?”

“I was asking,” Satin started, “why you hate OrionBolt so much, when you obviously love all his songs.”

“How do you know that? You only heard my ringtone.”

Cooper sighed. Branch didn’t think he was capable of that. Yet another thing they did to surprise him. “Form, dude.”

He facepalmed. How could he have been so foolish as to leave his duffel with them?

“I don’t like OrionBolt because he’s so popular. Have you ever thought that the guy might have just wanted a hobby or something? But now he’s this big personality!” He huffed a bit and leaned on the table. “I mean, last year, when he did a cover of the chorus from that Gwen Stefani song—“

“‘What U Workin’ With,’” DJ cut in.

“Thank you, Suki,” he said flatly.

She clicked a finger gun.

“The song jumped to the top of every list for a month, and everyone was singing it nonstop. Plus, in the announcement for ‘It’s Gonna Be Me,’ he wore this polkadot bow tie, and people started wearing polkadot bow ties out in public!”

The others felt a little guilty at that, since they were among the many who participated in the long-lasting trend.

“But the clincher—When the new logo was announced, people went nuts. Seriously, I’ve seen clothing, posters, tattoos, merchandise, everything. And it’s everywhere.”

“This isn’t going to be one of those ‘if people go nuts the aliens are going to find us’ speeches, is it?” Satin asked.

Branch glared at her. “Ok, first of all, aliens are a real threat that we need to be prepared for in case the time comes.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Secondly, I just think that people like OrionBolt a little too much, that’s all.”

“Why wouldn’t anyone like him?” DJ inquired to the air at what could be described as Cooper volume. “Have you heard his voice?”

Satin sighed and leaned back. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

Branch was completely weirded out now. “Wait...”

They gave him their attention, but he was focused on the fashion twin.

“Do you have a crush on OrionBolt?” he asked, a weirded out look plastered on his face.

A slight blush made its way across Satin’s cheeks, and she nodded a bit.

“It’s not exactly a secret among the pack,” Biggie pointed out.

“And now that you know that,” Satin glared at her friend, “Thank you, Biggie.”

Biggie frowned, as Branch contemplated the scene in front of him. Apparently Satin and Biggie understood sarcasm. He didn’t know whether to be proud of confused.

“I do have one more question,” Satin continued. “Branch, do you know OrionBolt? Or who he is?”

Branch started panicking. Did they know? If so, how?

“Who told you?” he asked angrily. “Was it Cirrus? I swear, I will kill that guy if—“

“No! It wasn’t Cloud Guy, alright?” 

DJ stepped in. “When OrionBolt did Walt Rocks! a few weeks ago, he said that he was really close with someone whose last name was Hunter.”

“Poppy looked through her dad’s census records,” Biggie continued for her, “and you’re the only person in the whole city whose last name is Hunter.”

Branch let out a shaky sigh from the breath he didn’t know he had been holding. They  _ didn’t  _ know. They just thought he knew the singer, nothing more. Not the best thing, but better than he expected.

“Yeah, I know him,” he admitted. It wasn’t exactly lying. “Does it matter?”

“We have to tell Poppy!” Cooper exclaimed.

“Uh, no. No. Absolutely not.” If they told Poppy, he would never hear the end of it. She would eventually figure out the truth, which was something he could not afford.

But the real question: How would she react when she did find out the secret?

* * *

Poppy loved everything about her birthday. She loved the party, the music, hanging out with her friends, and the presents, even though she told her friends every year that they didn’t need to give her anything. One thing she absolutely loved to do, though, was spend time with her dad while picking out a cake.

This year, while making the awaited selection, she was extra happy because Creek was free to join them.

Her father knew about her crush on Creek ever since it had developed. What Poppy didn’t know was why her dad got an uneasy feeling whenever the two were together.

“I still don’t like the looks of that boy,” he whispered to Poppy as the three of them approached the bakery. They used this bakery every year, since it was owned and run by Biggie’s family. Creek had offered to go on ahead and get a design book while the father-daughter duo lingered by the car for a second.

They began to walk towards the shop. “Come on, Dad,” Poppy said. “We get into this conversation every time you see Creek. Why don’t you like him?”

“It’s not that I don’t like the young man. He seems to be a gentleman and obviously cares for you very much. I went on a fishing trip with him a few years ago like I do with all your friends and got to know him, remember?”

Poppy nodded.

“I just don’t think you would be as happy as you want if you did end up with him.”

Poppy frowned slightly as they entered the shop. Her smile came back as the trio began to look through cake designs.

“Ooh, look at this one!” Poppy exclaimed, pointing at a design of a 3D pink dolphin swimming around a small school of fish.

After marking the page, they flipped through the book, not quite finding anything else that Poppy was interested in. She knew that she would probably have a hard time finding the perfect cake, but she at least thought there would be more options.

“Well,” Poppy said, closing the book, “that’s it. I’ll just have to try and think of something when we get back home.”

Her dad put his hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, honey. But I’m sure you’ll be able to come up with a wonderful design.”

She smiled and stood up to bring the book back to the front, but not before absentmindedly turning it over to look at the back. Her smile got wider.

“Oh my troll! This is perfect!” Poppy turned back to show the the hidden design to her friend and her father, who both instantly smiled.

“It does suit you very well, love,” Creek said. 

Peppy took the book and smiled. “This is wonderful! I’ll go see what Mr. Jones can do!” He began to walk to the front of the bakery to talk with Biggie’s dad, leaving Poppy and Creek. 

Poppy opened her mouth to say something, but then heard her phone ding.

“It’s a text from Gristle,” she told Creek after unlocking the device. “Branch isn’t gonna be at school for the rest of the week, so the next rehearsal is this Saturday at—“

Her eyes widened. 

“Where is it?”

She faced her phone towards the guru. “Newton Mansion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Branch/Pack bonding, don't you? This was actually a really fun chapter to write.
> 
> Also... I posted this at like, 6:45 in the morning, and I changed the month and day to make it recent. When I went back later in the day, I realized I forgot to change the year... o____o


	13. Smash Bros, Split Jeans, and an Almost Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title says it all...
> 
> Don't forget that Gristle Sr. is voiced by John Cleese!

Everyone knew about Newton Mansion.

But of course, few had actually been there.

The Pack were now some of those few. 

From a distance, it looked like a normal mansion. Many speculated that the Newtons actually only had a few servants at their feet. Others said they lived like royalty. From what Poppy could see, it didn’t even look like a mansion. The mansion was just a cover.

It was built like a castle. No wonder Branch’s sketchbook had them pegged as King and Prince Gristle.

“Wow...” was all she could say.

Poppy lived in a pretty good sized house. She had never looked at the floor plan, but was sure it was around 4000 square feet. That didn’t even compare to what the 10 kids were standing in front of.

“How has Gristle never told us about this?” she practically yelled. 

“We all know that Gristle doesn’t like to brag about how rich he is,” Creek reminded her.

“Right...”

They made their way up the walk to the front door. Cooper got distracted a few times by the various garden gnomes, but they all got there at the same time. Poppy rang the doorbell.

It was quiet for a while, but then muffled voices started to come from inside. The clicking of a lock could be heard, then the large door swung open.

To reveal Cloud Guy.

“Cloud Guy!” Poppy said in surprise and excitement.

“Hey, Poppy. Down low?” He held out his hand, palm up.

Poppy quickly slapped it, followed by the rest of the teens as they shuffled into the large foyer. Two tall men holding what looked like spears closed the door behind them.

“Alright, Chad, Todd, I can take it from here, amigos,” Cloud Guy said to them. 

The guards nodded and proceeded to patrol down the hall. 

“So...Gristle has guards?” Guy clarified in surprise.

Cloud Guy shrugged nonchalantly. “Yup. Chad and Todd. Nice guys if you don’t get on their bad side.”

Cloud Guy led them through the house. They arrived at a lone door with muffled shouting coming from inside. He quickly swiveled to face the group.

“Alrighty, there are a couple rules for todos ustedes to follow.”

The pack exchanged a glance as he continued.

“Rule numero uno: unless you want to face certain **death, death, death...** ” he echoed with a hand in the air, “...don’t do anything to rile Barnabas.”

“Um...who is ‘Barnabas?’” Biggie asked somewhat timidly.

“Oh, Barnabas is Gristle’s alligator. He hates everyone but Gristle and Branch, so be careful.”

Oh, they were gonna be careful.

“Rule B! If Gristle Sr. comes around, don’t be afraid. He isn’t as intimidating as he looks. I learned that the hard way.”

“Is there even a chance he’ll be here?” Smidge asked.

“I read in the newspaper that he has a meeting downtown this weekend,” Bridget agreed.

“You never know...” he said spookily. “Now, Arbitrary rule number 3! Don’t go into the kitchen. Gristle’s chef is _creepy_!” Cloud Guy shuddered before continuing.

“Rule number cuatro: When we go in the room, be very quiet. Branch gets scary fast if you break his concentration and cause him to lose.”

“Lose what?” Poppy wondered out loud. The goofy teen responded by smirking and holding open the door for everyone to shuffle into the room.

They looked around for a second before spotting Branch and Gristle near the far end of the room, sitting in beanbag chairs and wielding video game controllers. The loud noise from the game wasn’t doing much to drown out Branch’s competitive yelling.

“I’m gonna destroy you when I hit that Smash Ball! You have no chance, Gristle!”

“That’s what you think!”

Upon closer inspection, Branch had a giant sleeping alligator next to him. Poppy almost screamed, but someone quickly slapped a hand over her mouth. The two of them didn’t even notice there was anyone else in the room, let alone 9 usually obnoxiously loud teens, as they continued to play, and every once in a while, yell.

Everyone just watched Branch and Gristle play their game, Poppy in particular the most surprised. She had never seen Branch so passionate about... anything, really. Even though she couldn’t see his face, he seemed to be having fun, something none of them though he liked to do.

After a bit, their game round ended in a win for Branch. He shot up and pumped a fist in the air, a victorious smirk on his face.

“YES! IN YOur...”

His excitement dwindled when he turned around and saw Cloud Guy and the Pack. The smirk was replaced by a frown.

“You guys weren’t supposed to be here for another half hour.”

“We decided to come early!” Poppy exclaimed, still delightfully surprised he had been having a good time. “So...you’re a gamer?”

As Branch scowled at her in response, Poppy noticed that the most of her friends had been unusually silent up to this point. She looked at them to find the Twins and Smidge just... staring at Branch. She did a double take to her self-proclaimed friend.

Her eyes widened, though not enough to be noticeable, and she stared at him for about a second just like the others. She mouthed a _woah._

Poppy’s brain decided to just shut off at that moment as she stared. There had to be some law about against a guy wearing a shirt that was a size too small for him and showed off all his muscles. Especially if that guy was Branch.

“Super cool,” Satin and Chenille whispered in unison.

She wasn’t able to tell if he noticed the staring and the whispering because he quickly brushed past them all, heading for the door. “Are we going to practice or not?” 

Poppy shrugged as they followed Gristle, Branch, and Cloud Guy to a different room across the ‘castle.’ She noticed that Branch seemed more grumpy than usual, and planned to find out why later.

As they stepped into the new room, she could see it was a large theater room, bigger than the one at school.

Without saying a word, Branch gestured for everyone to go up on stage before sitting in a front row seat next to where his duffel had apparently been placed earlier.

“So, uh, what are we gonna do?” Poppy asked once they all stood overlooking the grump, trying not to stare at him again.

“Parts and choreography,” he barked, waking to the edge of the stage. “Who’s singing lead? Poppy and Creek?”

They both nodded. 

“And you both can dance, right?”

“Psh, of course we can dance!”

He nodded and climbed onto the stage, keeping to the edge so he could observe the others closer to the center. “Alright, I’m gonna use Poppy as the main...example here. Everyone watch what I tell her to do.”

“Do you want me to sing it or play it on my phone?”

“Sing. Now...” he clasped his hands together. “I’ve been working on this all week. I have an easy routine that we’re gonna start with, and a harder one that you might do at my discretion.”

For the next while, he gave detailed instructions as to how to do the easy routine. Poppy wasn’t getting it.

“Are you sure this isn’t the hard one?” she complained.

“It’s not my fault you can’t get it down!” Branch yelled back, extremely frustrated.

Poppy walked forward and got practically in his face. “Yeah, like you could do any better!”

“I probably could! It’s my routine!”

Chenille groaned. “Don’t do that, Poppy. We all know he’s not actually going to show us.”

Smidge began to make a chicken sound effect, and Guy joined in.

Branch’s anger had just about reached the boiling point. His eye twitched a bit as he growled lowly and climbed off the stage. The others backed off, both from fear and surprise, and just watched as he sat in the seat next to his duffel and placed his head in his hands. Then he was silent.

“Uh... Branch?”

His head didn’t raise.

“You ok?”

“Fine,” he said, although it was muffled through his hands.

He obviously wasn’t. Poppy gestured for the others to go backstage, and then kneeled in front of him when they were gone.

“Branch.” Her voice was soft when addressing him, a huge contrast to how she normally talked to him. He slowly lifted his head. “You alright?”

He looked away with a frown on his face. Poppy placed a hand on his arm, making him flinch. She noticed his skin was unusually cold, reminding her of when she hugged him after the first rehearsal. “Hey. You can always talk to me, ok?”

Branch looked back at her, waiting for a few seconds, then looked down, his voice quiet when he spoke. “Ok.”

She silently reveled in the victory and gave him a small smile. Her hand was still on his arm, and he stared at it for a few seconds before it was removed. “So, do you want to tell me what’s going on?”

He sighed, staring down as his breathing began to pick up a little. He still didn’t talk.

Poppy sighed as well, raising her eyebrows and smiling. She plopped down criss-cross applesauce in front of him. “Alright. I can wait. Whenever you’re ready, buddy.”

Branch raised his eyes a little and watched as she looked around the room, humming the latest song that was stuck in her head. It sounded eerily familiar, too…

When she began to add words, he recognized the tune. _‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,’_ one of his Grandma’s favorite songs. One of his too, though he would never admit it to anybody. Maybe he could make an exception, though. “That’s a good one,” he whispered loud enough for Poppy to hear.

She snapped her head to look at him, surprised. “What was that?”

He held back the urge to laugh, instead raising his head to make eye contact. “The song. Starship, right?”

Poppy chuckled. “That’s right!” She lightly punched his knee, scooting closer. “Look at you, all Mr. Music Man! I know a lot of _adults_ who don’t know that song.”

Branch frowned. _“I’m_ an adult, Poppy.”

She waved that off. “I mean adults who aren’t like, one of my good friends. You don’t count. Are there any other songs you like? Other than OrionBolt love songs, I mean?”

He ignored the fact that she openly admitted she looked at his form, tried to shove the fact that she considered him a close friend to the back of his mind, and snorted. “Maybe if I had listened to a couple of those I wouldn’t have had such a horrible week.”

“A sugar week!” Poppy suddenly piped up, getting on her knees to be at eye level with him. He looked at her in confusion, so she elaborated. “Whenever my dad is taking about a bad week, he always says that it’s kind of like sugar. At the beginning, it might seem like it’s going to be great, but if you eat too much, you end up miserable. At the beginning of a week, it might seem like it’s going to be great, but it could end up bad in the end.”

This time Branch did chuckle. “Yeah, I remember your dad talking about that once.” When she didn’t respond, he suddenly became aware of just how close she was. They looked each other in the eyes. Poppy’s smile became softer to match the sparkle in her eyes.

He couldn’t resist giving a small smile back, feeling his dimples pop a bit. Somehow, her hand found his.

Poppy looked down and couldn’t help but notice how big Branch’s hand was. It made hers look so small. She lifted her head, and the two made eye contact again. His blue eyes seemed so deep, and his smile, despite being so small, was so bright. Involuntary, their eyes closed, and they both started to lean in...

“Hey! Are we gonna get this show on the road or what?”

Poppy shot up and ran to the edge of the stage, trying to seem as nonchalant as possible. When the others came out from backstage, she cleared her throat and looked at Smidge. “Yeah! I was just about to call you guys!”

Luckily, they all bought it. As everyone shuffled out, Poppy stole a look back at Branch, who had his face hidden in his duffel, appearing to be searching for something. What had just happened? What was _going_ to happen? 

As all the others talked on stage, Poppy just watched as Branch slowly walked toward them, seemingly making an extra effort not to look at her.

“Ok, guys, we’re going to work on the, uh, song parts and lyric changes.”

Poppy was hoping everyone wouldn’t notice there was something off about Branch, because she sure did.

Branch took out his notes as the others exchanged a glance. “First, Poppy will sing ‘I got this feeling inside my bones, it goes electric wavy when I turn it on.’ Then Creek will sing ‘And if you want it inside your soul.’ Both of you will then sing ‘Just open up your heart, let music take control.’ Got it?”

“Wow. That is really specific,” Poppy said with a shimmy of her head, trying to ignore what had happened in the past few minutes.

Branch continued to ignore her. “Both of you will sing the next part, then the pack will take over the pre-chorus with Biggie on lead and Cooper on back-up rap. Let’s try it really quick.”

Poppy and Creek sang their respective parts, and then everyone stopped at the pre-chorus, looking to Branch to tell them Cooper’s part.

After going through the first part of the song several times, they finally got it down. Branch even announced for everyone to take a break, much to their surprise.

“Why is singing and dancing for work harder than doing it for fun?” Poppy whined.

“Work is always harder than fun, Poppy,” Branch said from his place in the front row. “You’d better get used to work if you ever want to make it in the real world. People do much better in life when they face facts like that.”

“And how would you know that?” Guy asked.

Branch stood up and gave him a lame look, although accidentally knocking over his bag in the process. “You’re the one that saw me working for Niles. I’ve got to pay the bills somehow.”

“You live on your own?” Poppy questioned.

“You will too when you turn 18, unless Uncle Paul decides to coddle you for a few more years like he’s been doing for the past _16_ ,” he answered, bending over to pick up the papers that had spilled from his duffel onto the floor.

“Wait, did you just say—“

“Aw, frosting!”

Everyone was surprised at Branch’s sudden yell. “What’s wrong?” Poppy asked, both confused and worried for the second time in an hour.

As quick as he could, he stood and grabbed a jacket which had been hanging over the back of his seat, then tied it around his waist. “Absolutely nothing is wrong.”

“Right...so, what was that you said about frosting?”

“Well, I—“

He was interrupted by the sound of the large door at the back of the room. A tall man with red violet clothing and balding grey hair that stuck out at the sides stepped into the room. His intimidating demeanor immediately caused Poppy and her friends to back up towards the wings of the stage. Gristle, Cloud Guy, and Branch didn’t seem nervous at all as the man stepped further into the room and began to speak.

“Gristle, you have friends over? What time is it?” He spoke with a loud, gruff voice. 

Gristle waved excitedly. “Hi Dad!”

“Is this the group for the school competition you’ve been talking about?”

Gristle Jr crossed his arms and puffed out his chest, looking proud. “Yep!”

“That’s fine!” He breezed the rest of the way to the front of the theater, inspecting his son’s guests.

“Well, a little too colorful for my taste, but...” he mumbled.

“If you don’t mind, Mr. Newton,” Branch interjected, “we have a lot of work we need to do.”

“I’ll get out of your way then.” He turned back around, about to head back to the door, then stopped and addressed his son.

“And Gristle...don’t forget to feed Barnabas. We don’t need him destroying another room again.”

Gristle gave a salute. “Ok!”

They all watched as the rich man left the room. Poppy turned to Gristle.

“Uh...Barnabas is the alligator we saw earlier, right?”

“That’s him!”

“Someone needs to go feed him,” Branch said. “I don’t want to remember what happened the last time he didn’t get fed.” He shuddered a bit at the memory just as Gristle looked at Cloud Guy.

“Me?” The white haired teen backed up a bit. “He hates me!”

Branch groaned and stopped Gristle as he was about to volunteer. “ _I’ll_ do it. Everyone else stay here and practice.”

Poppy suddenly raised her hand and started jumping up and down. “Ooh! Can I be in charge?”

“No.”

“Oh, come on! Pretty please with strawberry frosting and a candy cherry on top?” She gave him puppy eyes and clasped her hands together.

Branch sighed and looked at her. “Poppy. Look me in the eye and tell me that you’ll be able to stay on task if I leave you in charge.”

So she did just that, the memory from earlier in the day surfacing. She smiled innocently. “You know, you have really nice eyes.”

He just gave her this weird look and backed up. “Ok… Just… Stay on task.” He turned on his heel and headed for the door, speed-walking.

Poppy was actually able to stay on task when he was gone. They got a few more practices in before everyone had to leave.

“Thanks for hosting, Gristle!” Poppy bounced out the front door with everyone else, half noticing that Branch was heading off to the driveway already, the jacket still tied around his waist despite the freezing weather.

“It was my pleasure! It feels nice not to have to keep Barnabas a secret now.”

“Why did you have to—“

Poppy was cut off by the loud roar of a motorcycle. Everyone looked to the driveway and saw Branch revving the engine of said vehicle, trying to get it to start. They watched as he climbed off and kicked it in frustration, before actually getting it to work.

“That kind of looks like my dad’s old motorcycle,” Poppy whispered to Smidge.

“The one he keeps in that storage locker?” the shorter girl clarified.

Poppy nodded. She was probably wrong, but the resemblance was there.

“Hey, Poppy?” She turned to see Bridget walking towards her. “Doesn’t that look like the motorcycle your dad used to show us?”

“You know, that’s what I thought, too!” What would Branch be doing with her dad’s old motorcycle? She thought they might get an answer, since Branch seemed to be riding in their direction. Probably to talk to Gristle since he never talked to the rest of them voluntarily.

“Suki!” Ok, she was wrong.

DJ walked up to the vehicle just as Branch was putting on his helmet. “Do you think you might be able to bring in some of your equipment on Monday for the rest of the practices?”

Her face lit up at the mention of her beloved dj equipment. “I would love to, bro!”

Branch tensed up. “We’ve talked about that. Just bring the stuff on Monday.”

He gave one last nod to Gristle before preparing to ride away.

“Wait!”

Branch sighed at the interruption from the familiar perky voice. He just wanted to get home and put the awkward day’s events behind him. Not that where he lived was any better than hanging out with Poppy’s friends all day. He couldn’t go anywhere now, because Poppy has inserted herself in front of him.

“Where’d you get the motorcycle?”

Branch groaned. “If I tell you, can I finally leave?”

She nodded. “Your dad gave it to me. Said he didn’t use it anymore. Now get out of the way unless you want a couple tire treads on that pink sweater.”

Poppy failed at glaring at him as she moved out of the way, to the other side than where the others were. Branch looked directly at her as he placed a pair of goggles over his eyes, then leaned closer and lowered his voice so the others wouldn’t hear him. “Hey, thanks.” He gave a half-hearted attempt at a smile before the motorcycle went roaring out of the estate. Everyone stared after him in silence, and Poppy, who was grinning wide, went to stand next to DJ.

“Is it just me, or did Branch call you Suki?”

“Uh, yeah? He always calls me Suki.” Poppy wondered how she had never noticed that before. It was probably because they didn’t talk often.

“And...why did he tense up when you called him ‘bro?’” Smidge asked.

DJ shrugged. “No idea. Used to call him bro all the time, but now he doesn’t like it.”

Poppy’s jaw dropped. “But-how-what-“ She needed answers.

“Yeah, you know how I lived in Dohrn for a year?” Everyone nodded. They knew about that. “Me, Branch, and these other kids, Anthony and his sister Joy, were in this club where everyone had a different talent. I was music, Branch was engineering, Anthony was tech, and Joy was...life, I guess. You know, she loved animals and people. Anyways, we all had nicknames, and mine was Suki.” She shrugged for a second, looking completely nonchalant. “Don’t know what happened to him after that. He was always kind of quiet anyways.”

“Huh. Guess I don’t know as much about Branch as I thought,” Poppy said, surprised.

“Gristle!” They turned to see Mr. Newton standing there again. “Are you done yet? You have chores to do!”

“We should go...”

Gristle waved as the others started to leave. “Ok! See you guys on Monday!”

And the next practice might be a bit interesting for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> END OF PART 1
> 
> The song mentioned was 'Nothing's Gonna Stop us Now' by Starship (one of my favorites).
> 
> I had to use so much restraint while writing this. I mean, you have _no idea_ how much I wanted to make Poppy and Branch kiss. I also really wanted to have Branch sing along with Poppy, but I can't really do either yet, unfortunately.
> 
> As I put, this is the end of part one of two of the story. There's nothing that changed, but this was written in two batches; the first 13 chapters were done last Summer, and the rest are being written along the way now. The plot is also moved along a little quicker with the next few.
> 
> Hoping to get chapter 14 finished by next weekend, but no promises because I have finals coming up. Have a great week and enjoy the holiday!


	14. Hidden Talents and A Really Big Box

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really, really love this chapter, and I hope you do too. The song is 'High Hopes' by Panic! At the Disco.

One thing Poppy did a  _ little _ too often was get excited about stuff. Sometimes, it was stuff that any other person wouldn’t get excited about.

Their rehearsal the next Saturday was no exception, by any means.

“Oh, yeah! Branch is gonna be so surprised when we show up early for rehearsal!” The girl pumped a fist in the air, running ahead of everyone else to get to the school more quickly. Not that it made any difference, since they were all going to go inside at the same time in the end.

“Let’s just try not to surprise old Dumpy Diapers too much,” Cloud Guy chimed in, slipping an arm around Poppy’s shoulders. “As much as I love pushing his buttons, you  _ do not _ want to see him when he’s mad.” He shuddered a bit at the thought, just as the others caught up to them.

DJ looked around the parking lot of the school, catching everyone’s attention. “Uh… is he even  _ here _ yet? I don’t see that motorcycle anywhere.”

Poppy stepped away from the door and found that, indeed, Branch’s new ride was nowhere to be found. Was he not there after all? “Well, we can still go in anyway and surprise him when he does get here! It’s a win-win!”

With that, she bounded through the front entrance, the others following closely behind her. Like they had so many times, the teens walked through the halls to the large theater room. To everyone’s surprise, Poppy abruptly stopped right in front of the door, causing a small collision.

“What’s wrong?”

Poppy shushed everyone, still stationed in front of the door, seemingly listening for something. “Do you hear that?”

They listened, and heard something coming from inside the room. Was that… music?

Very slowly, with the Pack barely breathing behind her, Poppy pushed open the large door and stepped in, immediately making a beeline for the nearby sound booth. The others followed, and they all peered up to the stage. The music was much more clear now.

_ Mama said, it’s uphill for oddities, stranger crusaders, ain’t ever wannabees. The weird and the novelties don’t ever change, we wanted everything, wanted everything. _

They were met with an unexpected sight when they laid eyes on the front of the room, as if the month just couldn’t get any more surprising. The music was still blaring, likely from a phone, and Branch was in the center of the stage at the front, a broom in his hands, like he was going to sweep. 

But he wasn’t sweeping. Far from it, actually. Poppy gasped in delight and surprise when they found that Branch was actually  _ dancing _ on the stage. His lips also moved as he seemed to flow across the stage, as if he had been doing it all his life. It  _ looked _ like he was singing along, but nobody could tell because of the high volume of the music as it rang throughout the room and bounced off the walls.

_ Mama said, don’t give up, it’s a little complicated. All tied up, no more love, and I’d hate to see you waiting.  _

Poppy just couldn’t tear her eyes off Branch, too amazed with the way he flawlessly moved along with the rhythm of the song, and having a good time when doing it. She already knew he was apparently a gamer, but dancing  _ and _ seemingly singing along to such an upbeat song? She never would have guessed.

_ Had to have high, high hopes for a living, shooting for the stars when I couldn’t make a killing! Didn’t have a dime, but I always had a vision, always had high, high hopes! _

Looking a little closer, the pink girl realized Branch was smiling wide. He had a really nice smile, and she didn’t understand why he always scowled with a grin as nice as that. She felt her face heating up a bit as she continued to watch, suddenly grateful for the darkness in the small sound booth. She only felt like that when she was with Creek, but not ever with Branch. But he  _ had _ been acting a little nicer around her since their talk at Gristle’s mansion, and he hadn’t been dressing in that horrible grey sweater and leather jacket lately, and he was really handsome, and he was a great dancer, and he  _ did _ have a pretty amazing smile the two times she had seen it…

Wait… Was she thinking all that about Branch, of all people? It almost sounded like she had a crush on him, but that was crazy. Right? Poppy quickly shook her head to get that odd thought out of her head, then looked back to see she had been so lost in thought that Branch’s song was almost over. The blush, as if it had a mind of its own, stayed on her face.

_ Always gonna be that one in a million, always had high, high, hopes! _

When he was done, he still held the broom, and the music still continued, but to a slower song. Poppy recognized the opening as the one from her favorite OrionBolt song, ‘Something Like You,’ and squealed. A little too loudly. Shushes could be heard from around her, and the music instantly stopped.

“Who’s there?” Branch’s voice said from the stage. He now held his phone, clutching it, actually, and the scowl was back on his face as he climbed down the stairs. “Who is that?”

Slowly, the group emerged from the booth, looking a little bit guilty about watching Branch dancing. Taking a deep breath, Poppy stepped up to him first and threw her arms in the air. “We came early!” 

She watched his scrutinizing gaze, hoping he wasn’t too mad about how they had seen his whole display. However, his scowl quickly faded to that of concern. “Are you ok?” His eyes darted around her face, and she looked back to her other friends, then back to him. It reminded her of how she was concerned about  _ him _ the previous week.

“Uh...yeah! Why do you ask?”

Branch gave another glance at her, his hands fidgeting something bad. “Your face is really red, Poppy. Are you  _ sure _ you’re alright? Do you need water or something?”

Sugar. She still had that blush. She quickly gave a thumbs up, hoping he wouldn’t realize what it  _ actually _ was, because he would be really weirded out if he knew. “Yep! It’s all good in the hood, my man!”

Branch turned toward the stage, but not before giving one last look back, hesitant about proceeding. “Ok…”

Poppy kept her wide smile. “Ok!” She quickly swiveled around to face the group, and looked directly at the smallest member. “Smidge, can I talk to you for a sec?”

“Of course!”

Poppy made her way back to the sound booth, Smidge following behind, as the rest of the teens followed Branch to the stage. They all stood together, talking but awaiting instruction. 

Branch slowly turned around, and looked at DJ first. The group grew silent as he spoke. “Did you bring the equipment?”

“Yep! It’s all out in my truck.” She gestured towards the door as Branch nodded. “Haven’t used it for a while, though, so I don’t know what kind of shape it’s in,” DJ added.

Branch just stared at her. “You haven’t used it? Why didn’t you check to make sure it was working? It might be busted for all we know! That wouldn’t be any help!” Turning away from everyone, he placed his hands on each side of his head. “We need to win this!”

The others exchanged a glance, then watched as Branch dropped his hands and took a visible deep breath. It was kind of odd that he seemed so determined to win against P.C. Charter, considering he hadn’t shown any sign of the wish up to that point, and he never got that determined about anything, much less a singing competition in which he wasn’t even going to participate.

Unaware of the thoughts consuming the rest of the group, Branch started for the stage. “One of you stay with me to get the back ready, and the rest of you go get the stuff.” When there were no answers or footsteps, he stopped at the base of the stairs and whirled around, looking a bit ticked. “I’m sorry, why are you still here? Pretty sure I said to go get the equipment!” He looked at all of them pointedly.

Not really wanting to have Branch yell at them or anything similar to that, everyone but Creek, who Branch didn’t notice was following him to help with the back, turned and made a beeline for the door. “And somebody tell Poppy and Smidge to help, too!” Branch yelled back, disappearing into the wings. Creek followed, looking back one last time to see the group, Poppy and Smidge included, exiting the room.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Poppy slowly closed the door to the booth and turned on the small overhead lights. Smidge looked at her curiously. Normally, there were no secrets among the pack. Whatever someone had to say could be said in front of everyone else without fear of it getting out in the open, which made it odd Poppy was confiding something only in one person.

“What’s wrong?”

Poppy looked out to where her other friends were taking instructions from Branch, and her eyes flicked from him to Creek and then back again, before turning to Smidge. “Is it possible to have a crush on two people at the same time?”

The small girl looked confused, before looking out at the others and suddenly laughing. “You like Branch! That’s hilarious!”

“Smidge! It’s not funny!” Poppy scolded half-heartedly. “Branch would be mortified if he found out! And I’ve wanted to go out with Creek for the longest time! And no, that’s not a song reference!” she added when Smidge opened her mouth. “I don’t know what to do!”

“Listen…” Smidge reached up and put a hand on Poppy’s shoulder. “You know you like Creek. I know you like Creek. Everyone else knows you like Creek. Even  _ Creek _ knows you like him.”

“So you’re saying I should choose Creek?”

Smidge threw her arms out like Poppy had missed something really obvious about the conversation. “No! In the movies, the heroine never chooses the lifelong crush, or the fiance, or the popular guy or something! She chooses the rugged man she brings home from the jungle!”

Poppy raised her eyebrows. “Ok, first of all, great movie reference. Second, I wouldn’t really call Branch a rugged man.”

“He might as well be since he doesn’t own any nice clothes and has horrible people skills,” Smidge deadpanned.

The pink girl sighed. “Just… don’t tell anyone, ok? Especially not Branch.”

Before Smidge could answer, the door opened, and Guy poked his head into the booth. “Branch wants us all to bring in DJ’s music equipment.”

With the conversation still fresh in their minds, Poppy and Smidge followed the rest of the group out, but not before noticing Creek following Branch into the wings of the stage.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Turning around, Branch was filled with disdain when he found the person who stayed behind was the one person in the Pack who he  _ actually _ didn’t like: Creek. He scowled as the guru stood there with that usual annoying calm smile of his, before turning back around and pushing a large box out of the way.

Well, he tried to push it out of the way. In all reality, the box was heavier than he had thought, and his first heave was in vain. A presence came next to him as he continued to push, and the box began to move. Before it could get far, however, Branch glared at his helper and immediately walked to the other side of the room.

Unfortunately for Branch, Creek didn’t get the hint, and followed. They each picked up a smaller box from a stack, and moved them to the side. “Well, we didn’t get a chance to have a chat when we drove downtown a few weeks ago, so how have you been, mate?”

Branch grunted in response, moving another box. Why were there so many? Then again, he had never actually used the room in the several years he had been at the school, so he didn’t know  _ what _ they did in drama class. He was so involved in his thoughts, he almost didn’t notice Creek speaking again.

“How’s Grandma Rosiepuff?”

The box hit the floor, and Branch whirled around with widened eyes. “What?”

Creek almost laughed. “I asked how Rosiepuff was doing. You’re not the only one I haven’t had a proper conversation with in years.”

Branch turned away, letting out a strangled noise before clearing his throat. “Uh…”

“Yes?”

He didn’t know exactly how to say it. It was probably best to just rip it off like a band-aid. “Uh… She died.”

“Oh.” Creek, seeing Branch was just standing there, went to pick up the box he had dropped. “Is that why you’re…” He searched for the right words after he put down the box, trying not to be offensive.

Branch scoffed. “I’m not depressed, if that's what you're thinking. Or crazy.”

“I was going to say different, mate.”

“Sure you were.”

The two worked in silence for the following minutes, moving boxes, until the only the large one remained. Branch repeatedly rammed his shoulder against it in another solo attempt to get it to move, while Creek wondered if he was ever going to ask for help, or even want to talk at all. “Is it hard?”

Branch stopped the unintentional assault on his shoulder and looked at his former friend. “Is what hard?”

“Everything,” Creek answered. “Listen mate…” He pulled up two chairs and sat on one, motioning for Branch to take the other one. Hesitantly, Branch flipped it around and leaned forward onto the back after sitting. “I don’t know what it’s like to lose my family like that, or what it’s like to admire someone from afar like you do, but I  _ can _ say that whenever you need someone to talk to, I’ll always be here. We were always there for each other when we were friends in Dohrn, and I don’t see why that had to change.”

Branch stared at him while processing the information, then narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean by ‘admire someone from afar?’”

Creek chuckled. “I can tell you like Poppy, and I don’t blame you, mate. She’s a very likable girl.”

Sighing, Branch stared at the floor. “Don’t tell anyone, especially Poppy. She would be weirded out if she knew. Besides… I always see how happy she is around you.” He sighed again, then lifted his head and gave a half hearted attempt at a smile. “She really couldn’t do any better.”

“I really appreciate that, mate.” Voices came from outside, and the two stood. “You won’t be disappointed if I ask her on a date?”

“No… You two are a good match.”

Creek gestured to the large box Branch had given up on. “We should move that, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

The rest of the group came back and were met with the sight of Branch and Creek actually working together to do something, in this case, moving a large box. The two boys didn’t look at each other while they pushed, but it was obvious they were in sync and having an easy time moving the thing.

When they finished, the two did what seemed like a really complicated handshake, then laughed. Well, the laughing was more on Creek’s end. Branch just gave a nod and a satisfied smirk. “I’m surprised you remember that, mate,” Creek said, not noticing the others had come in.

Branch tapped a finger on his head. “Photographic memory. Surprised you don’t remember that,” he shot back jokingly.

“Ooh! Are you two friends again?” Poppy exclaimed quizzingly. “I  _ have _ to make you two friendship bracelets now.” She turned, lost in thought. “What colors should I make them? Grey and green? No. How about… Oh! Blue, green, and purple! That’s good…”

Branch fought the urge to laugh at her antics, and instead turned to the rest of the Pack, raising an eyebrow. “I’m assuming everything is on the stage?”   
  
Several words of confirmations, as well as a few thumbs up, came from everyone. Poppy looked over, done with her thinking.

“Alright. Can you all move it in?”

Chenille scoffed. “Oh, yeah. You’re not gonna help?”

He leaned against the wall, and everyone noticed it was against only one shoulder instead of his back. “Actually, no. See that big box over there?” He pointed to the box he and Creek had been moving when they came in the room. “I tried moving it, and I almost dislocated my shoulder. I know what it’s like, and it does  _ not _ feel pretty. Lifting anything would make it worse.”

Guy coughed and said “Drama Queen” under his breath, and Poppy just marched up to him. “Come on, Branch! It can’t be  _ that _ bad!”

  
“You want details?” he shot.   
  


“Actually, yeah!”

Branch smiled wickedly, making some of them back off. “Ok, you asked for it. First, there’s a wet pop. That means the bone in your shoulder popped out of the socket. It messes with the muscle something bad. In order to get the ball back into the socket, you need to physically push it back in in one swift motion, like ramming your shoulder really hard against a wall. That’ll realign the bone, and if you’re lucky, you won’t need a cast. You can also have someone else do it by having them hit your shoulder a certain way. Another pop, and it’s back in.”

Seeing Poppy so grossed out had to be the highlight of his day.

“Aw, it’s alright,” DJ announced. “It didn’t take that many of us to bring it in. It’ll only take a few of us to push it back here. C’mon, guys.” DJ, Cooper, Creek, Smidge, Gristle, and the Twins all went out to help.

Once they were gone, Poppy sidled up to Branch. He glanced at her and took a step away, but she followed. “What are you doing?”

She shrugged, giving him what seemed like a flirty smile. He stepped away again. “Seriously, Poppy. What do you want?”

“Are you coming to my birthday party tomorrow?”

“What? No.”

Poppy took another step towards him and batted her eyelashes. “Pretty please with ice cream and sprinkles on top?”

“I hate both those things, I hate parties, and I hate you. What makes you think I would want to come?”

“Hope?” She batted her eyelashes again, making him step back a third time.

“You’re kind of starting to freak me out here.”

With a small frown, Poppy finally backed off. “Ok, but I  _ would _ really, really love it if you came. Time is on the invitation, which, by the way, I remember you taking.” She gave him a sweet smile before walking over to help with some of the more awkward equipment.

Branch just stared at her as she walked away. There was no way she liked him like that, right? He must have just imagined her trying to flirt with him. Yeah, that was it. It was just his imagination.

So then why did it seem so real?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poppy's birthday? Now why wouldn't I do a chapter on that!? We only have about 8 or 9 more, and it's been really fun writing these.
> 
> On a side note, for anyone who's interested, I found out today that there's a whole flippin' Unreleased *NSYNC Album! Here's the whole thing: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLo1kVT89BptmY7xMlbxjwQSi8E3AI-Mq0


	15. Happy Birthday, Dear Poppy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out this amazing fanart of chapter 14 by Donnies_Lady_87! https://www.instagram.com/p/CKlWOwYFrbo/?igshid=a3at3u8z7leh
> 
> Happy Birthday to the voice of Branch himself, Justin Timberlake! That being said, it's also Poppy's birthday today! That's 100% on purpose. Enjoy this chapter to celebrate both of them!
> 
> The song is 'That Girl' by Justin Timberlake!

“My little girl is sixteen! The time just flies too fast!”

Poppy laughed at her father’s antics and returned his tight hug. She had to admit, it really did feel the same being a year older, but there was something special about it. Something you really needed to experience to understand.

A knock at the door made them break the hug, and made Poppy squeal because one of her friends was there. She had requested for them not to tell her about their costumes in advance, since she wanted it to be a surprise. Poppy loved surprises, and in all honesty, her friends weren’t all that great about keeping secrets when the secret wasn’t a surprise party. She wasn’t even good at keeping her own secrets, so it was really hard not to tell them about her costume: a fairy princess outfit.

Yes, it was a bit childish, but she loved it and no one could tell her otherwise. 

She flung open the door with a smile, even happier the moment she saw Smidge. Of course, it was kind of predictable that the small girl was the first to arrive considering she lived next door. Poppy’s smile dwindled a bit, however, when she saw what was sticking out of Smidge’s bag. “I thought I put on the invitation not to bring gifts!”

Smidge looked in horror at the gift, then shrugged. “Oh. I didn’t look at the invitation.”

“May I ask why that is?” Poppy moved over to let in her friend, then closed the door behind the two.

Smidge placed the present on the back of the couch and turned to look her friend in the eye. “You have the party at the same time every year, Poppy. It was obvious this year would be the same.”

The pink girl smiled and chuckled awkwardly. Was she really that predictable? She stole a look at the clock on the wall and found that, to her surprise, the party wasn’t actually set to start for another forty-five minutes. Smidge _did_ have the correct time, right?

“Ok, if that’s the case, then is there a reason you’re almost an hour early?” 

Smidge followed Poppy’s eyes to the clock, then brought her hands to her face in surprise. “Oh my guh! It’s only twelve-fifteen?”

“Yep.”

The small girl looked between Poppy and the clock, then laughed. “I knew it was early! I came over to help you set stuff up!”

The two shared a quick hug initiated by Poppy. “You are amazing, Smidge. Thank you!”

“Anytime!”

The two worked in tandem to prepare all the last minute details in the house while Peppy picked up the cake. Streamers and other decorations went up on walls and the nearby mantle, while balloons were inflated and the karaoke machine was set up. Poppy cleaned their table for the cake while Smidge cleared the living room of any excess clutter as best she could. Drinks and snacks were put in the living room, and a banner put up, until they eventually decided to take a break.

“Where’s your costume?” Poppy asked Smidge as they drank some lemonade. She stole a quick look at the clock and noted everyone would be arriving in just a few minutes.

“It’s in my bag,” Smidge responded, her voice muffled because of a cookie. She ran behind the couch and bent down to look through the backpack. Poppy leaned over the back to get a glimpse of the apparel. Much to her dismay, Smidge ran into another room, and emerged about fifteen seconds later dressed like a witch.

Poppy laughed as she took in her friend’s look. “Isn’t that the costume you wore when we did the play Keith came up with? The one about how Jack and the witch became best friends?”

“Think the others will pick up on it?”

Poppy faced forward as Smidge joined her on the couch again. “Well, Priscilla might. She has a pretty good memory. Photographic, like Branch.”

Seeing the smile on Poppy’s face, Smidge looked toward the door then back at her friend. “Do you think Branch is actually going to show up?”

“I hope so,” Poppy answered, sighing. “I know all you guys don’t really care for him all that much, but I really do think of him as a friend. My dad has been telling me a lot of stories about when I was younger and he still lived down the street with his family.” She sighed again and rested her chin in her hands, elbows on her knees. “I wonder what happened.”

“Maybe we’ll find out one of these days.”

“Yeah. Maybe we will.”

* * *

Most of Poppy’s other guests arrived shortly after the house was set up, and everyone sat around eating cookies and drinking soda or lemonade. Funny stories were exchanged and jokes told, as everyone waited for the Mayor to come back with the cake.

Poppy looked toward the door again, taking a sip of her lemonade. Where was her dad? All he had to do was pick up a cake, and that wouldn’t have taken forty-five minutes. Of course, he also had to pick up her Aunt Gloria and her cousin Priscilla, but the two of them only lived ten and seven minutes away from her house, respectively. There was nothing else he had to do, right? She didn’t particularly want to start before the three of them arrived, but she didn’t know when that would be, either. 

“Hey guys?” All her friends turned to her as she stood, phone in hand. “I’m gonna go call my dad and see what’s keeping him. Be right back!” With that, she ran into her father’s office and shut the door. 

It had been a while since she was in the Mayor’s office, and she decided to explore for a few minutes before making the call. She didn’t look in any of the drawers or cabinets, but the top of the desk caught her eye. Filled with pictures and horrible drawings, it was a miracle any work was done. Poppy studied the pictures one by one, smiling as she recognized the various adventures and people depicted. 

The last two looked as if they were the newest additions, added within the last couple weeks. The first was of a man and woman she had never seen before, posing in a wedding dress and tuxedo. The woman, who Poppy noticed was stunningly beautiful, had long, black hair and a wide smile. The man, who was slightly shorter, had pitch black hair which had been combed back, black, knitted, fingerless gloves that completely contrasted the wedding look, and red eyes that were either caused by severe lack of sleep or contacts. She guessed the latter.

Curious, she carefully picked up the frame and slid the photo out to see if there was anything written on the back that would give her a hint as to who the two people were. There was, in her dad’s handwriting.

‘To Jessica and Randy… Congratulations and well wishes. Hope I can be a godfather soon!”’

Poppy slid the photo back and looked at it once more. They were obviously friends of her dad, but he had never talked about them. Why, was the question.

The second photo was a huge surprise to see. Her eyes widened as she picked it up and studied it. She never thought she would ever see a photo of Branch considering how camera shy the guy seemed to be around everybody, but she was staring right at one, on her father’s desk for that matter. Her friend, who was in his usual attire, wore a soft, self-conscious smile as he stood in front of her house with his hands in his pockets.

Like the first photo, Poppy looked to see if there was anything written on the back, although she doubted it since it was only taken recently. To her surprise, her dad _had_ put something on the back.

‘To Randy and Jessica… I think you’d be proud of the kind, handsome young man Silas has become. We both miss you very much.’

Poppy gasped, her eyes darting between the two photos. Were the man and woman Branch’s parents? And why did her dad call him Silas? Unless…

She already knew Branch’s name was Tiberius Hunter, but what if Silas was his middle name? That would make a lot of sense. It was even just like OrionBolt’s middle name! Honestly, if she had a name like Tiberius, she would go by her middle name, too.

Looking back at the first photo, she realized the woman looked really familiar. Jessica… That was the name of the woman who was killed in the park with her mother! Which meant that the boy who witnessed the accident… Was Branch. 

That also meant, because of the writing on the back of the second photo, that both his parents were probably dead. No wonder he was so grumpy all the time. Poppy sighed at the prospect, staring at both pictures, then heard the sound of a car close to her house. She looked out the window and saw a BMW pulling into the driveway. There was no need to call her dad anymore, so she took one last look at the photos before exiting the office.

* * *

Seeing her dad carrying the cake through the window, Poppy ran to the back door and slid it open so he could enter the house. She quickly took the cake from him after that, not particularly wanting it to accidentally fall on the ground. He closed the door behind him, and Poppy looked past him to the still running car. “Where’s Priscilla and Aunt Gloria? Are they still in the car?”

Peppy followed his daughter’s eyes outside, then watched as she carefully placed the container with the cake on the table. “I stopped by both their houses, but Priscilla is sick and Guffin had a job emergency to tend to. They both said ‘Happy Birthday,’ though.”

“Why is the car still on, then?”

Peppy put on a mysterious smile. “Just a friend I wanted you to meet. He’s just staying in the car until I want him to come in.”

Everyone started whispering, wondering who the surprise guest was. Poppy, who was just as excited, looked more closely to try and catch a glimpse of whoever was sitting in the car, only to find that, to her dismay, the window had been blocked. Well.

She brushed off the extreme curiosity and bounded back to the living room with all her friends, ready to celebrate. After all, it wasn’t every day she turned sixteen. 

The group had loads of fun before it was time for the big cake reveal. Only Poppy and Creek knew of the secret design, and she was really excited to show the others. In her opinion, it really captured her personality. 

“Alright, is everyone ready?” Cheers arose from the group, and everyone smiled at Poppy as she lifted the platter out of the container. 

It wasn’t a cake, to everyone's surprise. The platter held about two dozen cupcakes in a fancy circular pattern, and each one had the frosting design of a rainbow on top. Poppy smiled at everyone as they all took in the arrangement.

“That’s awesome!” Gristle finally exclaimed. “It’s like that catchphrase you use all the time!”

Poppy’s smile was wide as the others sang ‘Happy Birthday’ and her dad lit candles which were on sixteen of the cupcakes. She leaned over and closed her eyes, thinking of what she was going to wish for.

There were so many things she wanted to wish for, to be completely honest. There were things she wanted to do with her friends, things she wanted to do with her dad. She kind of still wanted to go out with Creek, since it didn’t seem like Branch was going to be at all possible.

That was it. _‘I wish Branch would open up to us and I could become his friend,’_ she said silently to herself, then blew out the candles.

Peppy laughed and clapped after Poppy opened her eyes. “Now that that’s done, I can give you my present!”

“Dad… I know you remember what I said.”

He laughed again, walking to the back door and sliding it open, about to step outside. “I think you’ll like it anyways. I’ll be right back, okay? Eat a cupcake or something!”

She shrugged and turned, gesturing to the arrangement. Everyone took a single cupcake, and waited until Poppy took a bite before digging in. The vanilla on the outside gave way to a chocolate center, and Biggie complemented the flavor.

“These are actually from your family’s bakery,” Poppy noted, taking another bite. Everyone suddenly became silent, and she stared at them, stuffing the cake to one side of her mouth. “What?” 

Smidge raised a shaky hand and pointed behind the birthday girl. Poppy turned around, wondering what it was which had them so speechless, and had Cloud Guy and Gristle put on grins. Her father stood there again, but it was his guest and apparent present that had her surprised. So surprised that she gasped, swallowed her cupcake the wrong way, and started to choke. A quick pound to the chest brought the food down, and she gaped at the guest. 

“Hey. You alright?”

Poppy opened her mouth to say something, but no noise came out. She turned, took a breath, then looked back at the guest, still surprised. “You’re OrionBolt,” she whispered, more to herself than anyone else. 

He smiled. “Yep, last I checked I was.”

“Happy birthday, honey!” Peppy exclaimed, hooking an arm around his guest. 

The singer stuck out his hand, and Poppy shook it, still not entirely comprehending that he was there. She shook her head really quickly, trying to get her brain back to earth, before smiling at him. “Sorry, I’m just super excited that I actually get to meet you. In person, I mean.”

“It’s harder for me, I’m sure,” he said, still smiling. “I have to admit, I always get nervous around pretty girls like you.”

Cloud Guy snickered from the other side of the table, and OrionBolt gave him a look before turning back to Poppy. “Either way, I couldn’t say no when Mayor Peppy asked me to come.”

Poppy giggled. “Thanks.”

* * *

“So, I do have a song for you if you want to hear it.”

Poppy gasped. “Yes!”

Orionbolt, or as he told Poppy to call him, Silas, whipped out a phone and winked at her. “I haven’t released this one yet.”

The music started to play, and everyone gave their attention, especially Poppy. He hummed a bit, then started to sing. _“You didn’t have to run, I knew it was love from a mile away! But I had to catch you, and run it through my mind all day.”_

Poppy watched and listened from her place on the couch. He really did have an amazing voice.

_“‘Cause I’m in love with that girl, so don’t be mad at me! I’m in love with that girl, so don’t be mad at me! So what, you’re from the other side of the tracks, so what, the world don’t think we match, I’ll put it down like my love’s on wax, guess what? I’m in love with that girl,”_ he pointed at Poppy, who smiled wide and continued to listen. _“And she’s in love with me!”_

_“Now, we didn’t have to fall, but we fell in love to the bottom, babe. No one there to catch us, like when you fell from Heaven that day!”_ He winked at her again. _“People always staring, but I don’t care nothing about it, babe! Since I saw your face, I’ve been staring just the same! I’m in love with that girl, so don’t be mad at me! I’m in love with that girl, so don’t be mad at me! So what, you’re from the other side of the tracks, so what, the world don’t think we match, I’ll put it down like my love’s on wax, guess what? I’m in love with that girl,”_ another point to Poppy, and another giggle came out of the two of them. _“And she’s in love with me!”_

The singer stopped for a few seconds, looking around at the group and his phone, then continued singing. _“Now, don’t it seem like these days, that everybody’s got something to say. But I don’t pay attention to the talk, babe. And I don’t really care if they stop and stare, ‘cause they see my number one… My number one girl!_

_“I told you, I’m in love with that girl, so don’t be mad at me! I’m in love with that girl, so don’t be mad at me! I don’t care! So what, you’re from the other side of the tracks, so what, the world don’t think we match, I’ll put it down like my love’s on wax, guess what? I’m in love with that girl,”_ he pointed at Poppy for a third time. _“And she already told me, she’s in love with me! I’m in love, yes, I’m in love with that girl.”_

Everyone clapped when he was done, and Poppy giggled again. “That was amazing! Thank you so much!”

He nodded and smiled, then walked to Peppy and started a quiet conversation with him while the others talked. Smidge came next to Poppy, but the birthday girl held up her index finger and snuck towards where OrionBolt stood. Her feet were soft as she came behind him, and she reached for the helmet. A few more seconds, and she would finally know who was under the mask.

His head snapped sideways, and he frowned, seeing her hands in midair around his helmet. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing…”

Not looking at all convinced, the singer looked at his watch, then to Poppy’s dad. “I have to go. Call me if you need anything.”

Peppy nodded with a smile, then moved aside to let him past. OrionBolt made a beeline for the front door, Poppy hot on his heels. She opened the door, and he stopped, watching her careful moves and her apologetic smile. He sighed, then smiled back. “Happy birthday.” With that, he was gone, walking down the street.

What Poppy didn’t know was that under the mask, which was taken off once the singer was out of range of the house, Branch was almost the most nervous he had ever been. He was almost revealed. As much as he enjoyed making Poppy happy with the song and appearance, he was _never_ going to do that again.

As she watched him walk away, Poppy smiled widely, then went back to the party. They sang karaoke, laughed at each others' costumes, and she hugged her dad more than she ever had in a single day. That had to be the best birthday she ever had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprisingly, my favorite part of this is when Poppy is looking at the photos, and that was a last minute addition to the chapter. Don't know when the next one is gonna come out, but I'm working on a few of the other stories I have as well, so I'm hoping it's soon. Have a great week!
> 
> And once more, Happy Birthday to Justin Timberlake! Without him, Branch just wouldn't be the same.


	16. Height Insults and a Karaoke Rose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some awesome fanart of chapter 15 by CaptainBranch! - instagram.com/p/CK1ZSOzF1TU/?igshid=195k87h98lbzi
> 
> Ok, now... How about we all pretend that this _didn't_ just take over two weeks to update? Seriously, though, this one was a bit harder to write. It's by far the longest chapter up to this point, and there was one point that I might have cried a bit while writing it...
> 
> Anyways... The main song in here is 'Never Again' by Justin Timberlake. We also have a kleenex warning near the end. Enjoy!

Snow Day: A day on which public schools or other institutions are closed due to heavy snow.

At least, that’s what the dictionary said. Branch grumbled as his motorcycle roared into the school’s parking lot, kicking up slush made from a combination of the previous night’s snowfall and the rain pouring down at that moment. There was a good eight inches on the ground, more than enough for school to be canceled, which it was. Principal Gregory, however, still insisted the group go to practice since the upcoming competition was only in about two weeks. Hence why Branch, who was more miserable than usual, dragged himself out of his apartment on a day he should have stayed home, assuming the others had already been contacted.

He trudged up to the double doors of the school in his hiking boots, the closest to Winter footwear he had, and tugged on the handles, relieved when they opened easily.

With his duffel in hand, Branch immediately made a beeline for the music room. Since most of the students and staff at Trollston High loved music, the space was rather large and had an array of instruments, including a piano.

Not that the others knew or would ever find out, but he  _ did _ know how to play the piano. Six years of lessons made sure of that, taken in the time he lived in Dohrn. He quit after his grandma had died, for multiple reasons, but it was actually the piano that again sparked his love for music after he had sworn it off.

It was honestly just a normal day in his life. At fifteen years old, foster families came and went as often as , mostly because nobody wanted an extremely prickly teenager with too many problems to count who didn’t want to cooperate with  _ anything. _ Not that anyone ever actually bothered asking the reason for that.

The first family after his fifteenth birthday, however, was a bit unique. They were exactly the same as all the others in terms of attitude and pretty much everything else, except with one main difference: the house had a piano. When no one was looking, and after a whole lot of trying to convince himself nothing was going to happen, Branch sat down, then played and sang for the first time in three years. He had forgotten how much he liked it. He had forgotten singing made him smile, something he also hadn’t done in three years.

The arrangement in that house lasted for about a week before he was sent back for “Undisclosed Reasons,” as the orphanage put it. Much to his disdain, a temporary roommate was found when he got back, one who seemed worse then even Poppy in terms of being annoying. He called himself Cloud Guy, something Branch didn’t understand until he experienced the almost fourteen-year-old’s personality and learned of his real name. Their first encounter didn’t go all that well, considering the new roommate’s poor attempt at a fist bump ended with Branch threatening him with a stick he wasn’t supposed to have.

Another thing Branch found after a couple day was that Cirrus, as he called the newcomer, since the nickname was pretty stupid, also seeped in everywhere like a cloud, including Branch’s journal and songwriting endevors. Surprisingly, the eccentric roommate was actually able to get past a few of Branch’s walls, something not even Poppy had been able to do, and convinced him to record one of the songs and post it on YouTube. Although Cloud Guy was probably the most annoying person on the face of the earth, Branch had to admit that without him, there would be no OrionBolt. The unlikely friendship was short lived, however, since his roommate’s parents showed up a few days later to take him home, and he admitted that he just wanted to get away from their over-parenting.

Much to Branch’s disdain, Cloud Guy ended up enrolling at the local middle school when classes started up in two months, meaning he would need to actually  _ talk _ to the guy again. Unsurprisingly, he ended up being a close friend of Poppy’s, and continued to talk to Branch about the possibility of doing another video like he had done during the summer. In all honesty, the grumpy teen hadn’t actually looked at it since then, but it appeared that the video in question, which was just a cover of Otis Redding’s ‘Sitting on the Dock of the Bay’ he sang with a wig over his face, had apparently been really well received by the public. People in the comments gushed over his voice and asked if the mysterious person was going to record something else, much to his surprise. He didn’t particularly  _ want _ to record anything else.

But… it  _ did _ make him happy to sing again as long as it wasn’t around anyone else, and it boosted his mood a little to make other people happy, so he guessed it wouldn’t be  _ too _ bad to record another song.

The next one was his own variation of ‘More Than A Feeling’ by Boston, recorded in the same horrible room with the same uncomfortable wig and the same annoying cameraman. It went up on his one-video channel the same day, and surprisingly had more views than the first one. More irritating, however, was the unfortunate fact that Poppy and her friends had also seen the two videos, and spent all their time from that moment on gushing about the mysterious new “personality” and wondering if he was going to do anything else soon.

Branch sighed at the thought as he sat on the piano stool in the music room, then took a second to crack his knuckles in preparation. After three and a half years, it was still enjoyable to be writing and recording music. At least Cloud Guy wasn’t his cameraman anymore.

With another long, preparing sigh, his eyes closed and his fingers lowered onto the keys. The intro to the saddest sounding song he had ever written filled the room. Branch sighed a third time, relieved he remembered how it went. Now he just had to remember the words.

_ “Would have given up my life for you. Guess it’s true what they say about love… it’s blind. Oh, you lied straight to my face, looking in my eyes… and I believed you ‘cause I loved you more than life. And all you had to do was apologize…” _

Fairly easy, surprisingly, considering it had been over a year since he wrote it.  _ “You didn’t say you’re sorry… I don’t understand. You don’t care that you hurt me, and now I’m half the man that I used to be when it was you and me, you didn’t love me enough. My heart may never mend, and you’ll never get to love me… again…” _

Outside the room, in the hallways of the school, Branch’s luck was going downhill again. Unbeknownst to him, the others, who he had tried to avoid by coming  _ extra _ early instead of just early, were one step ahead of him.

“Remind me again why I wasn’t able to sleep in this morning?”

Poppy laughed at Gristle’s groans, then gave the group a smile before skipping down the hall. “We need as much practice as possible for the sing-off! Aren’t you excited to practice?”

The rich boy groaned again. “Not if I have to get up this early.”

Smidge gave him an odd look. “You know, you would have had to get up this early anyways if school  _ hadn't _ been canceled.”

Gristle stopped complaining and looked around at the others, who agreed, before contemplating the statement and following the group. They stopped right in front of the double doors again, and Poppy swung them open before noticing that Guy continued to walk down the hall.

“Guy?”

He stopped and turned. Poppy let go of the doors and looked at him. “Where are you going?”

Guy motioned down the hall. “Oh, I forgot my mike in the music room last Friday, so I’m gonna go grab it.”

“Ok!” When he said that, Poppy recalled the fact that he didn’t have it at her party, something she overlooked at the time. “We’ll meet you in here!” With that, the group made their way into the theater room, and Guy continued down the hall. 

He approached the room, then stopped. Unlike most of the other rooms in the school, the music room didn’t have a window, but the door was really thin. There was clearly music coming from inside. It sounded like a combination of a piano and singing, but it sounded way too sad to be anyone Guy knew singing. But the voice also sounded familiar…

He slowly cracked the door, giving clear passage for the music to flow into the hallway. Without making a sound, the sparkly teen slipped into the room, leaving the door open, and looked toward the piano to see who was making the music as it continued.

_ “But you didn’t say you’re sorry… I don’t understand. You don’t care that you hurt me, and now I’m half the man that I used to be when it was you and me, you didn’t love me enough. My heart may never mend, and you’ll never get to love me…” _

Guy’s eyes widened. It was Branch!?

_ “Wish so much I could go back in time. Maybe then I could see how… Forgiveness says that I should give you one more try, but it’s too late, it’s over now…” _

Well, that completely crushed the theory that Branch didn’t sing because he had a horrible voice. So then, why would he keep a voice like that a secret? Not only that, but as Guy listened, the more he thought Branch sounded exactly like… 

Oh.

Was Branch OrionBolt? His fingers continued to dance across the keys of the piano, and he continued to sing, so lost in the song.

_ “You didn’t love me enough… My heart may never mend, and you’ll never get to love me again. Again… Again, again, again, never get to love me…” _

A few more melodic notes played before Branch carefully lifted his hands off the piano, then gave a long, hard sigh and scrubbed at his face. Guy still stood there in complete awe before he finally found the courage to speak.

“That was amazing!”

Branch froze. His hands went down, and he slowly stood and turned. His eyes widened when he saw Guy, before a frown and tightly knitted eyebrows came onto his features. “What did you see, and what can I do to make you forget about it?”

Guy smiled and made a beeline for the other side of the room, where he spotted his microphone and grabbed it. “You’re OrionBoooolt!” he sang into the mike. “I can’t forget that! I need to tell the others!” He ran to the door, but Branch slammed it shut before he could go into the hallway.

“You’re  _ not _ going to tell your annoying friends.” It was a clear command, not a suggestion or a question. Guy could hear slight anxiety in Branch’s voice, and watched his expression as it wavered ever so slightly. “You can’t.”

Guy gave his “friend” a look. Now it just sounded like he was desperate.

“Please.” Branch looked him straight in the eyes, an honestly amazing social feat for the normally rude and brooding teen. 

Guy thought for a second, then smirked. “I won’t tell anyone on one condition.”

Branch groaned and scrubbed at his face again, dreading whatever the annoying glitter lover was going to ask of him. Sing again? Come to a party? Both were equally bad, but were also what he was most likely to come up with.

“I won’t tell anyone if you tell Poppy you have a crush on her.”

Surprised was a bit of an understatement for how Branch felt. He put on the most confused face he could muster before his hand blindly felt around for the door handle. “What in the world are you talking about?”

Guy smiled, although it was a bit mischievous and knowing. “I know I’ve mentioned this before. It’s really not that hard to see!”

“I don’t have a crush on Poppy. I don’t even  _ like _ her.” Branch fervently shook his head, proof that he was a little bit nervous about his answer, and opened the door. Without looking back, he took continuous strides all the way to the theater room, Guy hot on his heels and rambling all the way.

* * *

Poppy looked up from her conversation with Biggie as soon as she heard the door open, and was surprised to see Branch walk in with a ticked-off expression, then Guy behind him, who was talking about something she couldn’t quite hear. She quickly ran to her secret crush and threw her arms around him in a surprise hug.

“What the-” Branch widened his eyes and tried to pry Poppy off of him, yelling the whole time. Why couldn’t she just stop doing that every time she saw him? “Get off! What’s wrong with you!?”

She finally released him and gave a wide smile. “Oh, Branch! You should have been at my birthday party yesterday! It was amazing!”

Branch gave her a lame look. “Did you sing?”

“Yep!”

“Did you dance?”

“Uh, yeah!”

“Did you have fun?”

Poppy raised an eyebrow, a little curious as to why Branch was asking all the questions. “Well, obviously! I just said it was amazing!”

He brushed past her. “Sounds horrible. Glad I wasn’t there.”

Cloud Guy and Gristle snickered, earning a quick glare from the grumpy Junior.

“Or maybe you were there…” Poppy piped up, causing Branch to look back in confusion.

“Sorry, what?”

For the second time that day, Poppy invaded his personal space. Didn’t that girl know anything about boundaries? “I’m saying, mister, that  _ you _ ,” she jabbed him in the chest, “are OrionBolt.” She stepped back with a satisfied smile, like she had just solved the world’s biggest mystery. For Poppy. It probably  _ was _ the biggest mystery. 

Like he had done with Guy, Branch gave Poppy the most clueless face he had ever done. It was a bit easier in this case, since Guy actually had solid proof, while Poppy was going completely off a theory. At least, he hoped she was just going off a theory. “Yeah, I’m  _ not _ OrionBolt. I don’t even  _ like _ singing.” Well, that was a lie, but Poppy couldn’t know the truth.

“Yeah, you are. Clue number one-” Branch was appalled when she actually held up her index finger. That meant she had more than one piece of evidence. How did she get it? “You never sing in front of us.”

“Just because I don’t like singing, doesn’t mean-”

“Don’t like singing in front of us,” Poppy corrected. “I’ve seen you sing before. You just don’t do it around other people. Therefore, you must be hiding something.”

Branch scoffed. “You’ve never heard me sing before for a different reason than  _ that. _ ”

She just smiled again as she went on to the next reason. “Number two - My dad got OrionBolt to come to my birthday party yesterday.”

“Congratulations,” Branch said sarcastically.

“One thing I noticed was that he was wearing men’s heels. If you take his height and take away the height of the heels, it’s about five foot four.” Poppy pointed at him again. “You’re five foot four. There’s not very many men who are that short, you know.”

The sight of Branch crossing his arms with a slightly hurt expression on his face made Poppy take a half-step back. “I’m not that short. I’m five foot five.”

“That’s really not much better, Branch.”

He glared at her and again brushed past, heading for the stage. “So? There are a lot of famous men who are that height.”   
  


Poppy crossed her arms. “Oh, yeah? Name one.”

All the others watched the entertaining exchange as Branch started listing off celebrities on his fingers. “Billy Joel, Dustin Hoffman, Woody Allen, Bruno Mars-”

“I said name  _ one, _ not all of them!” In her best attempt at glaring, Poppy stared him down as he watched with mild amusement. “Also, I didn’t know that all of them were only five foot five!”

Branch smirked at her “mad” face and tone while saying that last part, then turned away from her so he wouldn’t have to give in to the urge to smile. “Of course you didn’t. It’s all part of a conspiracy by celebrities to make you think everyone in Hollywood is taller than you think. The only people it  _ doesn’t _ work for are Ken Jeong and Kevin Hart. They’re just short.”

Poppy gave him a look, not that he saw since his back was turned, then rolled her eyes. “Anyways… I have more proof.” That made Branch turn around. She had more? “Number 3 - When OrionBolt was on ‘Walt Rocks!’  _ and _ at my party, he wanted to go by Silas, but he said it wasn’t his first name. I was thinking it might be his middle name, and I know for a fact that  _ your _ middle name is Silas, and you used to go by that, so there.”

“You have no proof of that.”

With a smile, Poppy ran to the front of the room and grabbed the backpack she had apparently brought to practice. She rifled through it for a few seconds, then lit up when she found what looked like a picture in a frame. She waved it in Branch’s face. “I asked my dad if I could borrow this.” She shoved it at him, although he noticed she was actually being more careful than she would have been if it were anything else.

He squinted at the photo. A man and a woman who obviously just got married. His eyes shifted back up to Poppy once he studied it for a minute. “So? Is this supposed to be some kind of  _ special _ picture that magically makes me admit my middle name is Silas?”

“You…” Poppy looked at him, then the photo, then back at him again. “You don’t know who that is?”

Branch took another long, hard look at the picture. Honestly, he didn’t think he had ever seen the photo before, nor the people in it. “The woman looks familiar. Don’t know who the man is. Should I know?” He raised an eyebrow.

Instead of answering, Poppy turned her gaze to her feet, looking a little sad. There was something odd about the motion, however. If he didn’t know any better, he might have thought she was sad with pity for him. That was crazy, though. What did she have to pity him for?

“Are you  _ sure _ you don’t know?” her quiet voice asked.

Now he was just getting mad. “I’m sure! Come on, who is it?”

“Take it out and flip it over.”

With a raised eyebrow, Branch followed her instructions, then read what was written on the back. His eyes widened, and he flipped it again, looking at the picture itself for the third time. His hand softly touched it. “I… Oh.” The realization hit him like a ton of bricks to the face. He stared with an unreadable expression at the woman he now recognized as his mother, searching his memory to see if anything significant about her was hidden there. He couldn’t recall. 

He looked at his father, immediately scowling. The guy gave him serious Ozzy Osbourne vibes. Seriously, who wore fingerless gloves and red contacts to their own wedding? He quickly slipped the photo back into the frame and gave it to Poppy. “I don’t want to look at his face anymore.” Without looking to see her reaction, he climbed the stage and disappeared into the wings.

Poppy carefully placed the picture in her bag again, then watched Branch practically run backstage. She thought seeing his parents would have given him an attitude boost or something, or even have gotten him to open up a bit about his family, but she was wrong. She didn’t think he wouldn’t recognize them or  _ want _ to look at the photo. She wasn’t even able to bring up that his parents and OrionBolt’s parents died around the same time, either, but that didn’t seem as relevant anymore. It was starting to seem like Branch  _ wasn’t _ the singer, just because their personalities were so drastically different. 

But then again, what other explanation could there be as for why he didn’t sing? He said himself he had a good voice, but he never sang around other people. There could really only be the one reason, right?

Ignoring the conversation her other friends were having about the exchange, Poppy ran backstage, but immediately stopped when she saw Branch frozen in place, staring at something. She followed his eyes, then let out an audible gasp.

The equipment DJ had brought two days earlier lay in ruins, looking like it was beaten with a baseball bat and the pieces scattered around the room. Branch slowly walked to the turntable, the only thing intact, and plucked a note from the top. She didn’t see that before.

More gasps came from behind her, and all her friends present quickly rushed to Branch and tried to read the note, talking animatedly over each other. Branch’s voice raised above everyone else’s as he silenced the room and disappeared around the wings again. Poppy, of course, followed. 

“You alright, Branch?”

He jumped at her voice, then gave her the note without saying a word. His right hand went up and raked through black hair, mussing it.

“‘Better not bring your best. P.C. Charter.’” Poppy looked at the others in surprise, her eyes wide. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Branch slump into one of the seats. “This is horrible!”

Silence followed her words. Everyone shuffled around in the back, cleaning the mess, for a good half hour. Poppy couldn’t believe the other school would stoop to such low tactics in order to win. What was so important about a high school singing competition, anyway? Other than the fact it was really fun, she meant.

Once everything looked to be in good order, Poppy caught up to Branch before he had a chance to disappear with a bag of garbage. “You know…”

She must have startled him again, because he dropped the large bag, and Poppy  _ wasn’t _ disappointed that his muscles stopped bulging. He quickly spun around to face her, the usual annoyed and anxious expression plastered on his face. “Yeah?”

Poppy smiled sweetly at him. “Since the equipment is at a loss now, we might need some extra help with the performance. So, I was thinking maybe you could sing with us to make up for it?”

“We’ve gone over this a million times. I’m not going to sing for you or with you.”

He picked up the garbage again, expecting to be able to actually go outside with it, but his brain wasn’t working as well as it usually did, probably because of the earlier disaster, and he forgot Poppy wasn’t going to ease up. “The more you say you’re not going to sing for us, the more I’m convinced you’re OrionBolt.” The bag was dropped a second time. “That’s the only explanation as for why you don’t want to sing in front of us.”

“That’s not the reason.”

“Has to be.”

With a grumble, Branch just left the bag of garbage in the back and motioned for everyone to follow him to the stage. He didn’t give another quip to Poppy’s argument. Once everyone was arranged, he studied the group. How was it that he  _ just _ noticed someone was missing? “Where’s Creek?”

Poppy whipped out her phone and waved it in the air. “He texted me that he’s not feeling well, so he’s not gonna be here.” 

“That’s a problem.”

The energetic girl suddenly gasped and jumped forward. “Now you  _ have _ to sing with us to fill in for Creek!”

Branch gave her a hard glare. “No.” He looked around the room, unexpectedly delighted when he spotted a window. That was good. He needed some fresh air.

“Pretty please with ice cream and a cherry on top?”

Branch’s path to the window didn’t stop at the sound of her question. “I said no, Poppy!”

Everyone else followed Poppy as protests filled the air. With Creek gone, they really needed someone to take his part, and Branch was the only one available. Branch just scoffed at their yells.

“Branch, what are you doing? With Creek gone, you have to sing!” Poppy trailed on his heels, just a little bit angry that he wasn’t taking the important role.

“I told you, I don’t sing.”

“Well, you have to!”

He still didn’t look back. “I’m sorry, I can’t,” he snapped.

“No, you can, you just won’t!”

They finally made it to the window, although the group gave Poppy and Branch a little space in the midst of their argument. “Fine, I just won’t!” The window was unlatched.

“You have to!”

“No!” Branch gripped the sill, his knuckles turning white. Poppy was getting dangerously close to the breaking point…

“YES!”

“NO!” he yelled again. How much longer would she go on…?

“Why not!? Why won’t you sing!?”

He finally spun around to face her, tears welling in his eyes. “Because singing killed my grandma, ok!?”

Everyone gasped as he looked at the window again. His melancholy expression was reflected in the window, giving Poppy an almost perfect look at his sad frown, downcast eyes, and knitted eyebrows. The lines around his eyes were deeper, too, like there was an incredibly anxious feeling trying to surface from inside.

“Now leave me alone.” Poppy looked at the ground in surprise as Branch walked to the corner of the room and sat on the hard floor. He brought his knees to his chest and rested both his head and arms there. His eyes were still filled to the brim with unshed tears. Cooper said something behind her, but she didn’t hear as she slowly walked to her almost-friend, trying to think of the right way to ask about the new revelation.

“Branch?” Poppy had never seen him be so open. She knelt in front of him, hoping he wouldn’t push her away for once. “How did… singing kill your grandma? What song was she singing?” 

He finally looked up, a longing in his eyes.  _ “I _ was the one singing.” Poppy silently gasped, and her head went back in surprise. Branch looked out the window, ready to recount the story. “It was a really nice day. Sunny. Warm. We were in the backyard of our house. My grandma didn’t have enough money for a dryer, so she always used to hang up the wet clothes on a clothesline outside.”

A deep sigh of recollection escaped his lips as the now silent group continued to listen. “I just turned twelve a few weeks earlier. I think you and your dad came over,” he said to Poppy with another sigh. “He brought my grandma a bunch of fake flowers, and I took one of the roses and decided to use it as a microphone. She said she wanted me to sing her favorite song while she worked.”

“What was the song?”

Branch looked down. “‘Total Eclipse of the Heart.’ We both really liked it. I started singing, getting really into it. I was so lost in song, I-I didn’t hear my grandma trying to warn me that I had wandered into the street behind our house. There was a car coming. She dropped the laundry, ran out, and pushed me out of the way, but she got hit. The car kept going.”

  
More quiet gasps filled the air. Poppy was too speechless to say anything as Branch sadly placed his hand on the window, his gaze turned downward. “I wasn’t able to talk to her again,” his cracked voice choked out. “And I never will be.”

The tears finally began to fall, and Branch scrubbed at his eyes in an attempt to dry them. There was so much raw emotion trying to bubble its way to the surface, but he tried so hard to hold it back. “I’ve tried not to sing in front of anybody since. Something always goes wrong.”

Although he was still facing away from her, Poppy could tell what his facial expression was like. “I’m so sorry, Branch. I had no idea.” In all reality, she felt really guilty for trying to push him all these years when there was something torturing him from the inside. She jumped to her own conclusions. “I always just assumed you had a terrible voice,” she admitted quietly.

Branch looked to the sky. “No, no. It’s like an angel’s.” He stepped away from the window and started to turn towards her. “At least, that’s what Grandma used to say.” 

He just stared at Poppy as she gave him a sad smile, then ran towards him with open arms. He wasn’t able to stop her before she hugged him, restricting the movement of his arms. “Woah, what are you doing?”

Poppy squeezed him tighter, then closed her eyes. “I just thought you could use one.”

A glance at her was all it took not to pull away. Rather than fight it, Branch stood there and accepted it, even though he didn’t return it. It actually felt really nice to have her hug him in sympathy rather than happiness for once. She squeezed again, and it was just then he remembered they had an audience.

“Ok, ok!” Branch quickly pulled away, much to Poppy’s disappointment, and pointed at both her and the group. “I’m still not singing, but I’ll pull up the original version of the song to sub in for Creek’s part.”

Poppy smiled at him. “Ok.”

Even though Branch didn’t give any more looks inside his head or heart, he was a little nicer to Poppy throughout the rest of the practice. It was a big improvement.

Maybe, just maybe, he thought, things would turn out alright the following week. One could only hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs: 'Never Again' by Justin Timberlake  
>  'Total Eclipse of the Heart' by Bonnie Tyler
> 
> I was actually as surprised as Poppy to find out that all those celebrities mentioned are only 5'5". I mean, Billy Joel, Woody Allen, and Dustin Hoffman are all pretty old, so I'm pretty sure they just shrunk, but Bruno Mars? I never would have guessed.
> 
> Have a great week!


	17. Romance Walkie Talkies and Lots & Lots of Sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been THREE weeks since the last update. _THREE._ My goodness. This chapter wasn't hard to write once I got started, but between life, the writing of the second chapter of Change of A Lifetime, and that third chapter of Pop Holiday Collection, I just couldn't find the time to write this. Sorry for the wait!
> 
> I hope this is worth it!

It had only been a week, and Branch was already back to hating Creek. 

Poppy didn’t understand why he felt like that, but he repeatedly tried to convince everyone that the guru was up to something. According to Branch, Creek was just faking being sick all week so he could plot with P.C. Charter. But that was crazy. Creek was her best friend, and she knew he would never do anything like that.

Besides, if he _were_ going to join P.C. Charter, then Poppy was pretty sure he knew she wouldn’t be happy about him abandoning their friends. 

She smiled to herself as she walked. There was no way.

“Pay attention.”

Branch’s voice made her snap out of thought, and she looked down at a fairly large rock she almost tripped over. Everyone else started giggling, except for Branch, who, for the most part, still looked stone faced. She gave him a sweet smile. “Thanks.”

Her almost-friend just scoffed and kept moving. Poppy watched after him, lingering somewhat behind the group. Ever since he opened up a little more about his past, he had been nicer to them than ever before, even though he was still pretty grumpy and closed off. However, Poppy considered it a big accomplishment.

She had even been learning more and more about Branch since then. Although she didn’t exactly know him inside and out like she did her other friends, there was some of his past and personality he had let slip out in the past week, giving her a glimpse of who he really was on the inside. It was just a small glimpse, but Poppy could tell that his grumpy exterior was clearly a cover for someone else who was just dying to break through. She didn’t exactly understand _why_ Branch felt the need for the cover, but it was there nonetheless. She just needed some way to shatter the rest of it.

“Well, here it is.”

Poppy stopped in her tracks and gazed up at the large building in front of the group. It was easily four or five times larger than Trollston High, with its multiple buildings and tall ceilings. In the very front, a humongous, light-up sign read “P.C. Charter” in bubble letters. “It’s bigger than I thought.”

Branch gave her a questioning look. “Haven’t you been here before? With your boy, _Creek_?”

He said Creek’s name with such disdain that it made everyone else so a quick double take. Gone was the guy who tolerated all of them and became unexpected friends with the guru, and in his place was someone who again despised Creek and actually seemed to be on the road to liking the rest of them. Odd.

“Actually, no.” Poppy looked at him pointedly before giving the large school another staredown. “I’ve only seen pictures. There’s some rule that you’re only allowed to go in if you’re either enrolled or thinking about enrolling. Plus, you have to be super smart to enroll, so that kind of eliminates me.”

She gave another side look to Branch, then bumped his shoulder. He immediately stepped away, looking uncomfortable. “What about you? You’re crazy smart. Why didn’t you decide to go here instead of Trollston?”

Branch snorted. “I tried. But I’m _also_ crazy poor, so that kind of eliminates me, too.” Of course, there was also the part about how Trollston High had grown on him, and he really couldn’t imagine going anywhere else, but he wasn’t going to mention that. “It’s pretty expensive to get in there.”

“Maybe if we had been friends three years ago instead of starting now, I could have helped you out!” Poppy exclaimed with a big smile. Branch turned away so she wouldn’t see his expression.

“We’re not friends.”

Branch couldn’t see Poppy’s face, but he was sure she was smirking. “Yeah, we are!”

“No, we’re not. Not even close.” Branch finally turned around again. “I have… a lot of stuff I like better than you.”

“Sure, because _that_ was a great comeback.”

The others watched the argument with interest. Poppy and Branch bantered practically every day, but that didn’t make it any less amusing. “I wish I had some popcorn or something,” Gristle finally said after a minute.

That made Branch quiet as he was about to give Poppy another quip. He slowly turned to the rest of the group, who he may or may not have forgotten was there. “I’m sorry, did you just say you wanted popcorn?”

Poppy chuckled awkwardly. “For what?”

“To watch you two argue! It’s hilarious!”

Branch just gave his rich friend an odd look, then suddenly widened his eyes. It _looked_ like he had seen something in the distance, but, without saying another word, he walked away. Poppy gaped at him behind his back. He just had _no_ social decency! So, she ran after him.

“Branch! What are you doing!?”

“Get everyone over here!” he hissed quietly. “Now!”

With a confused shrug, Poppy motioned to the others to follow them, and the group walked until they were on a little hill overlooking the school. “What’s wrong?”

Branch looked out at the school, and everyone else followed his gaze. A group of teens came into view, although none Poppy recognized, which was odd because she knew most all of the teens in Troll Falls.

“Party Crashers,” Branch finally said. He extended a firm finger toward them. “Those are the guys we’re going up against.”

Poppy was just confused as she watched the five P.C. Charter students laughing and playing around. Honestly, they looked pretty normal, and she was pretty sure that, although they would be bringing their A-game, it would be pretty predictable. Was there a reason Branch seemed to hate them so much? “Uh… Party Crashers? Doesn’t the P.C. stand for, like, Prominent Collegiate, or something?”

“It does. I just call them Party Crashers because of this thing that happened a few years ago when they trashed the Trollston prom.”

Everyone else looked at him oddly. Nobody was really paying attention to the P.C. Charter students anymore. Guy burst out in laughter. “That was six years ago, man!”

Branch growled with a low tone, making some of the group recoil. Sure, it was six years before, but he remembered the news clearly, since many of the older students at the orphanage talked openly about it for days. Not to him, of course, since nobody _wanted_ to talk to him, but he overheard everything. It seemed like the crime of the century for those students, and it was inevitably the beginning of the rivalry between the two schools. Branch was surprised Poppy had never heard anything about the old nickname for P.C. Charter, since it was a pretty pivotal part of Trollston’s history.

Poppy, wanting to ease the tension a little, hopped up from her place on the hill, getting everyone’s attention. “Well, I don’t know about all of you, but I’m gonna go say hi!”

The only voice that protested was Branch, who immediately ran after Poppy and stopped her. “That’s the enemy, Poppy! You can’t just… talk to them!”

She waved him off. That was a pretty crazy belief. She could say hello to anyone! “Oh, sure I can. They’re people, just like us, and I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if I just went over to talk.”

Before anyone could stop her again, she bounded down the hill and toward the school again. Branch pulled at his hair in frustration as he watched everyone else follow. He, of course, didn’t, for reasons other than the teens below being the competition.

“Hi, there!”

The scene unfolded as the P.C. Charter students turned to look at Poppy with confusion. She only recognized one of them, who wore a blue polo shirt. Eddie, if she remembered correctly, from when Archer came to say hi the day after the OrionBolt announcement. He seemed to recognize them, too. “You look familiar… You’re the girl from Trollston, right?”

Before Poppy had a chance to answer, another of the “Party Crashers,” who looked suspiciously like Archer, piped up. “Of course she’s from Trollston. All those guys are annoyingly upbeat and have crazy dyed hair.”

“Well, not all of us have dyed hair,” Poppy corrected with a smile, oblivious to the insult. “I know someone who doesn’t like hair dye or something, because he just leaves it black.”

Branch facepalmed from where he was watching. The guys from P.C. Charter stood there in disbelief, but said nothing as she continued.

“Anyways… I just wanted to come down here and say hi. Hi!” Her short span of fervent waving just made the recipients even more puzzled. Was this the Trollston team captain?

Bash chuckled, but the others didn’t hear. Well, if this was the competition, they would have no problem winning. They would bring their best even though it probably wouldn’t be necessary, though.

He snapped out of his thoughts to find that the pink girl was still talking. “-and even though he’s not here, he’s a really great singer. Branch thinks he’s up to something, but I know he’s a really good guy, and he’s just been sick! I mean, he’ll need to get better so he can sing with me at the competition, but I’m sure he will.”

“Listen, girlie,” Bash started once she was done, earning snickers from his group.

“Poppy.”

He chuckled. “Sure. I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I do want you to do something for me. I want you to sing something for me.”

“Sure!”

Bash backed off to watch and listen. He had heard about this lead singer from a reliable source. If she was as good as they thought, they would have to bring it up a notch.

Poppy thought for a minute after the request. What song should she sing? She spun around, hoping to see if Branch had heard and had a suggestion, and she was delighted to find that he was mouthing something to her.

‘Don’t sing well’

Did she see that correctly? Her hand came up to block out the sun, and she mouthed a ‘what?’ back to him. He repeated exactly the same thing. It was certainly an odd request… 

“Uh… Ok.”

With another spin, she came to face the ‘Party Crashers,’ and chuckled. “Sure you still want to hear something?”

When they nodded, she searched for a song she could sing. “Ok… _Lying in my bed, I hear the clock tick and think of you. Caught up in circles, confusion is nothing new. Then you say, ‘go slow,’ I fall behind. The second hand unwinds.”_

The Pack exchanged glances with each other. Poppy was way better at singing than that, so what was up?

_“If you’re lost, you can look, and you will find me, time after time! If you fall, I will catch you, I’ll be waiting, time after time! Time after time!”_

Bash smirked. This would be easy. “Alright.”

Poppy’s smile radiated as she began to skip off, her friends all trailing behind her. “Good luck at the competition!”

A low chuckle came from Bash, and he spoke quiet enough that the Trollston students wouldn’t hear. “Oh, we won’t need it. We have a big advantage.”

Poppy turned. “Did you say something?”

“Oh, I think Bash was talking about how we were able to get-” Eddie was cut off by an elbow to his gut. Bash’s, to be exact, and the leader hissed at his friend.

“Dude! That’s classified information!”

All the teens from P.C. Charter began to argue. Poppy didn’t hear all of what they were saying, so she just called out, “Bye!” and walked back to the hill where everyone else was now waiting.

“Well, I think that went well!”

Branch facepalmed for the second time that hour.

* * *

“What do you all still need to work on?”

The group thought long and hard. Poppy stared directly at Branch in his usual front row seat, noticing he wasn’t scowling for once in his life. Honestly, it didn’t really even look like he was paying attention to them, in favor of typing something on his phone. Odd.

She exchanged a quick glance with the others, seeing if they were thinking the same thing as her. They nodded, so Poppy took the initiative to answer for them. “I think we just need to polish it a little, but we’re good otherwise.”

A satisfied smirk came onto his features. “If that’s the case, then you all can take a breather before we start, and I want to talk to Bridget.”

Poppy’s oldest friend walked down to Branch, and everyone else, being the people they were, stopped to listen to the conversation rather than do their own thing. It seemed like it was going to be interesting as soon as Branch scrolled through his phone, then showed something to Bridget.

“That look ok?”

She instantly lit up. About what, Poppy wasn’t sure, since she couldn't exactly get a good glimpse of what was on the phone. “That’s amazing!”

It seemed like Branch was oblivious to their audience. “Can you go record it? I think it’s good enough to listen to.”

Bridget, who also didn’t seem to notice the rest of them watching, blushed a bit. “There are two parts. I don’t have anyone to do it with.”

A song. Poppy was sure that’s what her two friends were discussing. They lifted their heads from the phone and looked to the group, just realizing the others were listening the whole time. “Who should help?” Bridget asked Branch, although a little timidly.

Branch looked over the group. Any of them would do except Gristle, who wasn’t all that great at singing. Then again…

A mischievous smirk surfaced. “Get Gristle.”

  
“What?”

Branch walked past her to Gristle without a second glance. “You heard me. Gristle, Bridget wrote a song and needs someone to sing it with. I want the two of you to go to the music room and record it.”

“Nobody else can do it?” Gristle squeaked, just loud enough for Branch to hear.

“Nope. Gotta be you.”

He pushed them both toward the door. “Come on. The faster you do this, the faster you can practice.”

Poppy could have sworn she saw Branch wink at one of them as he turned on his heel and came back to the group. They all gave him wicked stares as he sat once again. “What?”

He flinched when Poppy plopped a hand on his shoulder. “Branch. My man. Didn’t know you had it in you!”

He shrugged to get her hand off. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Poppy.”

“Oh, come on!” Smidge piped up. “Those two are the piners of the decade! Don’t sit there and tell us you didn’t just send them away together so they would admit their feelings!”

Branch held up his hands innocently. “I really don’t know where you got that idea. Bridget and Gristle both have unique voices, and I just thought they would fit together, that’s all. There’s no other reason.”

“No other reason?” Poppy asked, still suspicious.

Branch gave her a lame look. “No, Poppy. I’m secretly passionate about romance, and I want to get my self proclaimed friend to ask your friend on a date or something because I’m tired of them skirting around their feelings.” Well, it wasn’t a lie.

She recoiled in surprise. “Really?”

“No. Don’t you know anything about sarcasm?”

“Don’t you know anything about romance?” Poppy quipped back. “Like to always bring walkie talkies in case your best friend needs help thinking of what to say to her crush?”

“What-”

Poppy surprised him by taking an actual walkie talkie out of her pocket. “Boom! That’s how it’s done! Bridget has an earpiece just like this so we can talk to her without Gristle hearing!”

The others rushed to her side as she turned the dial on the side of the device. Branch just watched on in disbelief. “Bridget?”

_“Poppy, I don’t think this is such a good idea.”_

Poppy waved it off, not that Bridget could see. “Just relax. When you get in the music room, say his name, and that’s where we’ll come in.”

_“Ok.”_

Branch continued to watch all of them gathered around Poppy. It really was not his intention for them to go this far. At all.

_“Hey, Gristle?”_

“Ok, now just tell him how much you like him! Or… Say something nice about him!”

_“Did you say something?”_ came Gristle’s voice.

_“Um, uh… uh…”_

This was just getting embarrassing. Branch shot up from his seat. “Poppy! Help her!”

Poppy shot a quick glance at Branch, then nodded. “Uh… Your eyes, they’re uh, uh…” She quickly pictured Gristle in her mind. “Ugh. Ooh, your ears…”

_“Your eyes. No, ears?”_

“You need to actually try!” Smidge whispered.

“I am!” Poppy hissed back. “But Gristle’s not attractive! Like, at all!”

Since Poppy was kind of at a loss, the rest of the pack started chiming in with their own body parts. Unfortunately, Bridget repeated all of them. Branch figured she was really nervous the way she was stuttering.

_“Skin, neck, ears, nose, face-”_

_“Are you ok?”_

She kept on going, and Branch facepalmed. _“Back of your head, teeth…”_

_“What’s going on? Are you making fun of me?”_

Uh oh. That’s not how things were supposed to go. On his last rope, Branch ran up the stairs and snatched the walkie talkie out of Poppy’s hands. “Bridget, listen to me.”

Everyone was silent.

“Your eyes,” he mumbled.

_“Your eyes!”_

Oh, man. He was going to regret this later “...Are like two pools, so deep,”

_“They’re like two pools so deep,”_

“I fear if I dive in,”

_“I fear if I dive in,”_

“I might _never_ come up for air.”

Bridget’s voice definitely sounded more calm. _“I might never come up for air.”_

Poppy gasped and slowly turned her head, looking at Branch in awe. He seemed to be lost in the words, not caring about the world around him.. “And your smile… The sun itself turns jealous, and refuses to come out from behind the clouds, knowing it cannot shine half as bright.”

Every word was repeated with perfection over the line, and Poppy’s lips turned upward in a small smile. Who knew Branch had such a way with words?

_“I kinda do have a nice smile, don’t I?”_

Branch immediately agreed with Gristle, and, before he could stop himself, looked over at Poppy and her sweet smile. “Yes. You do.”

They looked at each other for a few seconds, and Branch couldn’t stop the small smile that tugged at his own lips. The moment was short lived, though, when he realized what he was doing and quickly turned to stare at the walkie talkie again.

_“I can’t believe I’m about to say this…”_

Biggie panicked for a second behind Branch. “Guys, she’s going rogue!”

_“...But I’ve actually liked you for a while. I was just too scared to say anything.”_

Poppy grabbed and turned off the device. There was no sense listening to any more, since Bridget seemed to have it under control. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Well, everyone except Branch.

Although Poppy had taken away the walkie talkie, he still stared in the same direction, just now at the floor. His breathing seemed a little ragged. His hands shook, too.

“Uh… Branch? Are you alright?”

He didn’t say a word.

“You know, that was some really beautiful poetry you gave Bridget. Why haven’t you told us about that before?”

“I made it up on the spot. Definitely not premeditated. At all.”

Oh, yeah. _That_ sounded super convincing. Branch mentally scolded himself for even starting the whole thing. He groaned quietly, then pushed past the others to his seat. He took special care not to make eye contact with Poppy.

He was just tired or something, he decided as he practically fell backwards into the chair. He slumped his head back and closed his eyes. Sleep. He just needed sleep. Lots and lots of sleep, with his flannel pajamas and actually comfortable mattress. Yeah. That’s what he needed.

The loud sound of the door bursting open didn’t even make him open his eyes. He was just _so_ tired all of a sudden because of the day’s events. He heard bustling behind him, then Gristle saying something about his “Lady love” and that the two of them were going on a date at the local roller rink in a week.

Lovely. He was happy for them, really.

“Branch?”

He groaned again and opened his eyes, ready to scold somebody. He didn’t expect to see Bridget there. She offered him a small smile.

“Thanks.”

He waved so she would know he heard, then slumped his head back again. But the more he thought about the situation, the more he was convinced it was worth it. Hoping nobody was standing right in front of him, he smiled.

Almost nothing could ruin his proud little moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song:  
> 'Time After Time' by Cyndi Lauper (Anna Kendrick cover from "Up In the Air")  
> You really need to listen to that version to understand why I wrote it the way I did.
> 
> Who else is excited for season 2 of Trollstopia!?
> 
> And don't worry, it won't be three weeks until the next update. (-: Only 5 chapters to go!

**Author's Note:**

> Both constructive criticism and regular comments are always welcome and appreciated. Song suggestions are also encouraged!


End file.
